Russia does not boycott the 2018 Winter Olympics
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia will allow athletes to participate in the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea as neutral athletes and will not boycott this sports competition.
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| Russian President Putin speaks during a visit to an automobile factory in Nizhny Novgorod city. Photo: Reuters |
On December 5 (local time), the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decided to ban Russia from the 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea due to doping allegations. The IOC's ban has caused strong protests from Russian politicians and athletes. Many sources believe that Russia may boycott the 2018 Winter Olympics by banning its athletes from coming to South Korea.
However, in a speech while visiting an automobile factory in Nizhny Novgorod city on December 6 (local time), Mr. Putin affirmed that Russia allows its athletes to participate in the Olympics in Korea as neutral athletes.
“We are not boycotting the Olympics. Russia will not prevent our athletes from participating in the Olympics in South Korea as neutrals. Russian athletes have devoted a lot of time and effort to the opportunity to compete at the Olympics. Participation in the Olympics is therefore very important for them,” Putin said.
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| The Russian government allows Russian athletes to compete at the Winter Olympics as neutral athletes. Photo: Reuters |
Although he did not boycott the Olympics, Mr. Putin strongly criticized the IOC's decision as "staged and politically motivated." The Russian leader also repeated his view that there is no such thing as the Russian government sponsoring athletes to use doping.
“Most of the accusations are based on unverified and unfounded evidence. The evidence revolves around the testimony of one person (former head of the Russian doping laboratory Grigory Rodchenkov, who is currently in exile in the United States),” Putin said.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called on politicians, athletes and fans to remain calm in the face of the IOC ban. He said that all reactions are wrong if they are too emotional and have not been carefully analyzed.
South Korea wants Russia to participate in the 2018 Olympics In a related development, the host country of the 2018 Winter Olympics, South Korea, said they want Russia to participate in this event. The head of the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympic Organizing Committee, Mr. Lee Hee-beom, confirmed that they will ask the IOC to reconsider the decision. Mr. Lee told the Korean press: "We want the 2018 Olympics to have all the countries and athletes present." |
According to TTO
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