IOC cuts number of Russians eligible for Games

LAUSANNE: The number of Russian athletes eligible to take part at next month’s Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang has been reduced from a pool of 500 to 389, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday.

The IOC last month banned Russia from taking part at Pyeongchang over state-sponsored doping, but clean Russian competitors will be allowed to participate under strict conditions, and under a neutral flag. “As of today, the original pre-registration pool of 500 athletes has already been reduced by 111 by the panel,” the IOC said in a statement, following the recommendation of an independent invitation review panel.

“For others in the remaining pool of athletes, pre-conditions such as further pre-Games tests and reanalysis from stored samples have been required,” it said. “Only if these requirements are met can the athletes be considered for invitation.”

The IOC added that “more than 80 per cent of the athletes” in the pool did not take part at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the level of doping reached its peak.