Australian Olympic team chef de mission Kitty Chiller has slammed Russia for planning a track and field meeting for its drug-tainted athletes in Moscow this week.

The meeting was announced on the same day Russia’s depleted Olympic team departed for Rio – some 111 Russian athletes in eight sports have now been banned from the Games.

Russian authorities wanted to give the athletes some form of competition and scheduled a “Stars 2016” event, with around 135 athletes to compete at Moscow’s Znamensky Brothers Stadium under the guidance of national coach Yuriy Borzakovskiy.

“They include Olympic champions and medal holders as well as less renowned athletes forbidden to compete in Rio,” Borzakovskiy told Russian news agency, TASS.

Chiller is stunned at Russia’s move to stage the athletics meet.

“On one hand Russia is saying they want to change their system and the culture of doping in their country,” Chiller told reporters overnight, Australian time.

“And yet to organise an event for those cheats and for those dopers I think is completely the wrong message.”

Australia’s women’s eight rowing crew will likely be the only Australian athletes to be summoned as late Olympic replacements for Russians.

The nation’s women’s artistic gymnastic team had been on standby but the sport’s international federation has cleared Russia’s gymnasts to compete in Rio.

Chiller has implored Australia’s athletes to forget about the Russians – and any other rivals.

“We fight, we play, we race, swim, run – whatever it is – against whoever is there on the day on the start line,” she said.

“I’ll be encouraging all our team members in all our sports to focus on their own performance.

“The (Russian) decision has been made, there is nothing we can do about it.

“The hurdles that those Russian athletes who have been cleared to compete, the hurdles that they had to jump to be here are very strict and very high.

“We need to accept that process – it was a strict, it was a fair process – and get on with it. Focus on our own lane, on our performance and focus on our own best result that we can possibly do.”

Chiller also said there was no lingering discontent with Rio organisers over the athletes’ village shambles.

Australian hierarchy refused to check in to the village earlier this week because of water and gas leaks, electrical shorts, malfunctioning toilets and general filth.

Chiller and Rio Mayor Eduardo Paes made peace yesterday when Australia cleared its team to move into the village after hasty improvements.

Paes admitted the controversy almost became a diplomatic incident but Chiller said there was no ill-feeling.

“That is all in the past. For us now, it’s business as usual,” she said.

“(There was) absolutely no hard feelings or disrespect intended on either side at any time.”

-AAP