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Founding president of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), Dick Pound, said it could be "time for a time-out for Russia in the Olympics” following the drugs scandal surrounding 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva.
On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled Valieva could continue competing in Beijing, despite testing positive for a banned heart medication in a sample from December.
"This is going on too long, and it's too obvious," Pound told CNN.
"You know, the [Russian] government cannot explain why nobody will play with them. And the answer is, it's because you cheat."
Some background: Monday's decision from CAS only determined whether Valieva could still take part in the Beijing Games.
The IOC has made it clear that her case — and the people surrounding her — will continue to be investigated long after the closing ceremony.
Russian athletes are prohibited from competing in the Olympics Games under their country's flag due to sanctions imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and WADA because of the country's "systemic manipulation" of anti-doping rules during the 2014 Sochi Games.
Pound, who is also a former vice-president of the IOC, said the punishments the ROC faced since Sochi have been “lenient” and ineffective, and banning the team from competition would get Russia’s “attention.”
"That's the nuclear option. You simply say sorry, you will not be invited to the next Games, you will not be able to host any Olympic sport events and so forth, that will get their attention. So far, we've been relatively unsuccessful in getting their attention because every decision that's rendered gets appealed,” Pound said.
“That's not a healthy atmosphere for Russia. And it's not a healthy atmosphere in which the athletes from the rest of the world have to compete in competitions where there are Russians."