IOC keeps Russia doping ban for Olympic closing ceremony

PYEONGCHANG: Russian athletes will not be able to march behind their flag at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics closing ceremony later Sunday after the IOC voted unanimously to keep the country’s ban for mass doping. But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said the suspension would be lifted -- an IOC source said in “a few days or a few weeks” -- if no further positive drug tests come out of the Games, where two Russians tested positive for doping.

Russia was formally banned in December from taking part in the 2018 Olympics following revelations of widespread drug-cheating, but 168 athletes deemed “clean” were allowed to compete as neutrals.

They were representing “Olympic Athletes from Russia” under strict guidelines including a ban on Russia’s flag, national colours and the national anthem. The vote to keep the ban for the time being followed a recommendation from the IOC’s executive board, which met Saturday and early Sunday to thrash out Russia’s fate.

The IOC “could have considered lifting the suspension given that the Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR) had respected the IOC’s decision of December 5,” IOC president Thomas Bach said. “However, two Russian athletes tested positive for doping here in Pyeongchang.

“This was hugely disappointing and does not permit the IOC to envisage lifting the suspension of Russia for the closing ceremony.” The IOC vote means that Russia will never be recorded as having taken part in the Pyeongchang Games. Nicole Hoevertsz, the IOC member who led a group charged with monitoring the behaviour of the Russians at the Games, praised their conduct.

“They have followed the spirit of the executive board decision (of December) throughout the entire period of the Games,” she said.

However, taking into account the two doping violations, she recommended that the ban be kept for now because the cases represented a “violation” of the executive board guidelines for the OAR’s participation. Russians Alexander Krushelnitsky, a bronze medallist in mixed doubles curling, and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeyeva were kicked out of the Pyeongchang Olympics after testing positive for banned substances. Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of the Russian delegation, blamed “negligence rather than malicious intent” for the positive tests in a bid to have the suspension lifted for Sunday’s closing ceremony.However Francesco Friedrich, a German bobsledder who won his second gold of the Games on Sunday, had little sympathy.