Russia's presence at the Rio Olympics would threaten the integrity of the entire Games movement, according to former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) president John Fahey.
Fahey says the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must impose a blanket ban on Russia competing next month in Brazil, after this week's WADA report revealing systematic, state-backed drug cheating from 2011-15.
The damning report, by WADA investigator Richard McLaren, has compelled the IOC's executive board to meet on Sunday (Monday AEST) in Lausanne, where it will consider McLaren's recommendation to prohibit all Russian athletes from Rio.
On Thursday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld the Rio Olympics ban imposed on Russia's track and field team due to rampant state-sponsored doping.
An appeal had been launched by the Russian Olympic Committee and 68 athletes who claimed they were being punished even though they had not failed doping tests.
The IOC said it would take the CAS ruling into account when considering any blanket ban on Russia.
Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates will be at Sunday's meeting as an IOC vice-president, however the national body has declined to comment until then.
Fahey believed the decision was "clear cut" - Russia's "widespread corruption" meant the entire team had no place at the Games.
He was concerned about the impact their presence would have on clean athletes.
And after months of global headlines over the country's doping scandal, he also feared a reprieve would blacken the public's perception of the Olympic movement.
"The McLaren report makes it abundantly clear that if they want to safeguard the integrity of the Olympic Games, they need to ban Russia," Fahey told Associated Press.
"To have Russia there will put into jeopardy the world's view of the Olympics.
"This is widespread corruption - not individual; not a group; not one sport.
"It's a conspiracy of the state through the ministry of sport, the anti-doping organisation, their security service and the previously accredited Moscow lab.
"They have all conspired to bring this about."
It was a view shared by Russian-born pole vaulter Tatiana Grigorieva.
Grigorieva, who won Olympic silver for Australia at the Sydney 2000 Games, said the findings scared her and proved "the system is rotten".
But Australian Olympic great Andrew Gaze hoped innocent Russians wouldn't be kicked out of Rio, though he conceded the IOC might be left with no other option.
"I can understand the rationale behind (calls for a blanket ban) because, if you've got organisations just blatantly cheating, you don't want them there," said Gaze, who represented Australia in basketball at five Olympics.
"But to me, it's like anything - you don't want to punish the innocent.
"If there are those that are innocent, then it's a big, big price to pay, to say we're going to kick the whole nation out."
