The Russian Olympic Committee has been banned from sending a team to the 2018 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee has announced.
Russia flag Photo: PHOTOSPORT
Some Russian athletes will be allowed to compete at Pyeongchang 2018 in certain circumstances under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" and will compete in uniform bearing that name, the IOC said.
The decision was reached after the IOC's 14-strong executive board received a recommendation from a disciplinary commission set up to investigate claims Russia conducted a state-sponsored doping programme that culminated at the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.
The IOC also decided to suspend ROC president Alexander Zhukov as an IOC member given that his membership is linked to his position as ROC President.
No accreditations to the Games would be given to the Russian ministry of sport, the IOC also announced and gave Vitaly Mutko, former Sports Minister and now Deputy Prime Minister, a life ban from the Olympics.
In response, Russian state television said on it would not broadcast the Games in the absence of Russia's national team.
The IOC's decision comes 18 months after it had refused an outright ban of Russian athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics and told international sports federations to decide individually on the participation of Russians in Brazil.
While all the track and field athletes bar one and the entire weightlifting team were banned from Rio, around 70 per cent of Russia's original 387-strong squad ended up taking part at those Games.
Today's decision, however, looks to have taken into account growing vocal protests from other countries, major national anti-doping agencies and individual athletes who felt they had been robbed by their Russian opponents for years and had demanded a full suspension of Russia.
-AAP
