Russian Olympic ban discriminates: Putin

President Vladimir Putin says the exclusion of Russian track and field athletes from the Rio Olympic Games over doping allegations is discrimination and that a political campaign had been waged against the nation's sportspeople.

Putin, who was addressing members of Russia's Olympic team on Wednesday in the Kremlin, said the absence of some Russian sportspeople from Rio would damage international sport as well as the Olympics.

He said any medal won in Rio, in the absence of Russian athletes, would be worth much less than otherwise and that such victories would have a completely different taste.