Full coverage: 2016 Rio Olympics

Behaving differently was something Russian athletes were also expected to do, but according to the latest report from the World Anti-Doping Agency, they continue to fail performance enhancing drug tests and obstruct doping control officers. The report covers a six-month period from last November following the suspension of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency, and comes two days before the IAAF rules on whether the Russian track and field team can compete in the Rio Olympics.

The WADA report claims Russian athletes returned 52 adverse findings, including 49 for meldonium. It also said there were 23 missed tests, which the report called 'significant', 111 whereabouts failures, and 736 tests were declined or cancelled.

Testers were also routinely obstructed from gaining access to athletes who used military cities as the location for their whereabouts knowing doping control officers would need special permission to gain access.

The update revealed several examples of widespread efforts to avoid testing, including one detailed instance where an athlete tried to use a container inserted inside her body that presumably contained clean urine. She eventually provided a sample which WADA said returned an adverse analytical finding.

And another athlete was seen running away from the mixed zone after competing in an athletics event as a chaperone was coming to notify of a drug test while another left the stadium during her race and could not be located.

The update arrived ahead of the International Association of Athletics Federations key vote on Friday on whether to allow Russian track and field athletes to compete at this summer's Rio Olympics. This latest update on testing from WADA will certainly not help the Russian cause.