(CNN) The International Olympic Committee has backed the sanctioning of Russia track and field athletes over the country's lack of anti-doping efforts, but says individual Russian athletes could be cleared to compete at August's Rio Games.

On Friday, athletics' governing body the IAAF upheld its previous ban on Russian track and field athletes competing on the global stage.

And following Tuesday's summit in Lausanne , the IOC said it planned to "fully respect the decision of the IAAF Council."

However, IOC president Thomas Bach gave some hope to Russia's athletes, saying he expected some individual Russians to take part if cleared by the IAAF and that "they will compete under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee."

Such a stance would be in direct contrast to that of the IAAF , which stated that any individual Russians allowed to compete "because they have been outside the country and subject to other, effective anti-doping systems" would "not be for Russia but as a neutral athlete."

But the IOC deemed competing under the Russian flag was appropriate as only the Russian Athletics Federation had been banned and not the Russian Olympic Committee.

However, in response the IAAF said Tuesday it would "now work with the IOC to ensure the decision is respected and implemented in full."

Should Russian athletes only be allowed to compete under a Russian flag, it would create a potentially difficult situation for whistleblower Yuliya Stepanova , whose evidence effectively led to the revelations of systematic doping within Russian track and field.

Stepanova has been relocated to Canada but the 29-year-old middle-distance runner had hoped to qualify for and compete in Rio under the IOC flag.

Any Russian athletes hoping to compete in Rio would have to undergo further doping checks.

As will those from Kenya, which has also been declared non-compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency code and whose athletics team has also been threatened with possible Olympic exclusion in the past.

The IOC statement said that "the presumption of innocence of athletes from these countries" was currently "being put seriously into question."

Explaining the situation in both countries, Bach said: "In Kenya, you have a lack of funding and attention from national bodies, and in Russia you have serious allegations about manipulations of the doping system.

"In effect, it leads to the same challenge: To ensure the same playing field where the anti-doping system has been affected in different ways."

Photos: Gold, silver and bronze Photos: Gold, silver and bronze With just 51 days to go until the 2016 Olympic Games gets under way, organizers have revealed to the world the medals that Usain Bolt and co. will be battling it out for in Rio de Janeiro. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze A grand total of 2,488 medals will be on offer to athletes at the Games, which run from August 5 to August 21, with 812 of those gold, 812 being silver and 864 bronze. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze Weighing in at 500g, the medals have been made with "sustainability at their heart," according to organizers, while they feature a design that "celebrates the relationship between the strengths of Olympic heroes and the forces of nature." Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze The gold medals are free from mercury, with the silver and bronzes having been produced using 30 percent recycled materials, while half of the plastic in all of their respective ribbons come from recycled plastic bottles. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze The designs on the medals feature laurel leaves -- a symbol of victory in ancient Greece -- surrounding the Rio 2016 logo, while the other side boasts an image of Nike -- the Greek goddess of victory -- with the Panathinaiko Stadium and the Acropolis in the background. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze The Paralympic medals were also revealed and have a tiny device inside which makes a noise when it is shaken, allowing visually impaired athletes to know if they are gold, silver or bronze -- gold has the loudest noise, with bronze the quietest. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze All medals are slightly thicker at their central point compared with their edges, and the name of the event for which the medal is won will be engraved by laser along its outside edge. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Gold, silver and bronze "Today marks the start of the final countdown to the first Olympic Games to be staged in South America," International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said at the launch event in the Barra Olympic Park in Rio. Hide Caption 8 of 8

JUST WATCHED IAAF official: Russian officials ignoring doping rules Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH IAAF official: Russian officials ignoring doping rules 01:02

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said the country's clean athletes would appeal against the suspension and told the IOC summit they would take the matter to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, calling such a ban "legally indefensible."

Russia has not ruled out a complete boycott of this year's Olympics, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

Asked if a wholesale boycott could prove a reality, Peskov told reporters via a conference call: "I can only say that no one wants to create a precedent like this.

"President Putin is a convinced supporter of Olympic ideals, and a convinced enemy of anything that may harm these ideals.

"But beyond all doubt, we intend to defend the interests of our sportsmen -- I mean, those sportsmen who are not associated in any way with doping use."

Bach defended the IAAF at the conclusion of the IOC summit, and said the aim of its own proposals was to "keep dopers away from Rio 2016 by doing everything in the disciplinary procedures following the comprehensive testing and pre-testing."

He said officials planned to go after dopers' entourage, including coaches and doctors, in a bid to further clean up the Games.

Bach also singled out the Russian Olympic Committee for praise, saying it had been "mentioned in a very positive way for their work" despite the potential for more allegations in the latest World Anti-Doping Agency independent commission report on allegations of systematic doping at the Winter Olympics in Sochi in 2014. That report is due out on July 15.