IOC lift ban on Russian athletes
Russia’s Olympic ban has been lifted by the International Olympic Committee after no more doping violations were found at Pyeongchang 2018.
A team of 168 Russian athletes competed at the Winter Olympics as neutrals but two failed tests, however the IOC had promised to reinstate the country if their remaining tests were negative.
“The final notification of all remaining test results from the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) delegation has been received from the Doping-Free Sport Unit,” read an IOC statement. “The IOC can confirm that all the remaining results are negative. Therefore, as stated in the executive board decision of 25 February the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee is automatically lifted with immediate effect.”
Alexander Zhukov, president of the ROC, said: “The Russian Olympic Committee has had its rights fully restored. It’s a decision of the utmost importance for us.
“I would like to thank our athletes who were able to perform well even despite the provocations. I thank the fans who did not cross the line and what could result in sanctions. Today’s IOC decision is very important for us. The ROC is an absolutely full-fledged member of the Olympic family.”
Russians competed as neutrals in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics after the IOC suspended Russia in December, saying it had found evidence of an “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system.
