When the IOC banned Russia from these 2018 Olympics, it directed its wrath and leveled its punishment not only at individual Russian athletes. Nobody accused the Russian president of using Russian developed technology to personally unscrew the German-developed tamper-proof bottles -leaving no visible marks to the naked eye -and substitute clean urine samples, months old, for the dirty urine that would prove Russian athletes had used banned performance enhancers to cheat their way to Olympic victory. Nobody suspects Vladimir Putin shoved his arm through a secret hole in the wall that seemingly separated the 2014 Olympic testing lab from a supposedly empty adjoining storage room. Now, with the Olympics set to open in mere days, the question remains -is Russia in, or out? On that same day, the Russian news agency Tass reported “Russia to be represented by 169 athletes at 2018 Olympics,” making it sound like Russia would be there in full force. Russia is Sending 169 Athletes to Winter Olympics.” read a seemingly contradictory January 25th New York Times headline. So does the murky nature of Russia’s status. The cast of participants changes by the day. Cleared of doping, they will be represented by a neutral flag, and be known as the Olympic Athletes from Russia. ![]() ![]() But now, as the opening ceremony approaches on Friday, at least 169 Russian athletes prepare to compete. Vasily Maximov/AFP/Getty ImagesĪs nations of the world, and their greatest athletes, converge to compete in this global ritual and celebration called the Winter Olympics, where is Russia? Reacting to proof that ranking Russian sports’ officials had coordinated a scheme, perhaps on orders from the top, to allow Russian athletes to cheat and win, in December, the International Olympic Committee banned Russia and its athletes from these Olympics. A man holds a national flag during the ‘Russia is in my heart!’ rally in support of Russian athletes on February 3, 2018.
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