russia faces winter games ban
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Last Updated : GMT 09:40:38
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

at IOC summit

Russia faces Winter Games ban

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicleRussia faces Winter Games ban

A woman waves a Russian flag outside of the International Olympic Committee
Lausanne - Muslimchronicle

The International Olympic Committee has barred the Russian team from competing in Pyeongchang in February over widespread doping at the last edition of the Winter Games in 2014.

However, they will be allowed to compete as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" under the Olympic flag. Gold medalists won't hear the Russian anthem played on the podium.

The IOC says the OAR team will be invitation-only, picked by a panel of anti-doping and medical officials from various organizations.

To be invited, Russian athletes must meet the usual Olympic qualifying standards but also "be considered clean to the satisfaction of the panel," meaning they can't have been previously banned for doping and must face extensive pre-Games drug testing.

It's not yet clear if Russian athletes plan to challenge these requirements in court. An IOC attempt to bar Russians with previous doping bans from last year's Summer Olympics was overturned at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Under the current IOC rules, here's a look at how "Olympic Athletes from Russia" might fare in Pyeongchang:

HOCKEY

Russians have won men's hockey gold under the Olympic flag before.

Back in 1992, shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union, players from ex-Soviet countries teamed up, including future Stanley Cup winners Alexei Kovalev and Sergei Zubov. It wasn't a punishment but political expediency in a chaotic political situation.

This time around, Russia's neutrals would have a good shot at gold, in the absence of NHL players. Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk, now playing in Russia's Kontinental Hockey League, is keen to play. "We definitely have to go," he told Russian media after the IOC decision.

One obstacle could be KHL leadership, which previously threatened it might pull its players if Russia was punished over doping.

Russia's women's hockey team might be a contender for bronze but struggles to compete against the top two squads, the U.S. and Canada. Some women's players have also been accused of doping offenses related to tampering with their 2014 Olympic samples, so eligibility is an issue.

FIGURE SKATING

Russia sent just one athlete to appeal to the IOC board on Tuesday, 18-year-old skating prodigy Evgenia Medvedeva.

It's easy to see why. Unbeaten in two years, Medvedeva is the clear favorite for women's skating gold and in a sport where careers are short, "I don't know if I'll have another Games in my life after Pyeongchang," she told the board.

She's also not connected to any doping offenses from 2014, when she was just 14.

If Medvedeva goes to February's Olympics, she'd be joined by potential Russian medalists like pairs skaters Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov.

ALPINE SKIING

Russia has never been an Alpine skiing power, but might have an outside shot at a medal under the Olympic flag.

Slalom specialist Alexander Khoroshilov in 2015 became the only Russian skier to win a World Cup event since 1981, when Russians still competed as part of the Soviet Union.

Three podiums last season show he could threaten the top three in Pyeongchang under the right conditions. Khoroshilov is based in Switzerland.

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING

Key Russian skiers from the 2014 Olympics have already been banned by the IOC for doping, with four of Russia's five medals stripped.

Of the three Russian skiers who swept the podium in the 50-kilometer race on the final day in Sochi, the only one left is bronze medalist Ilya Chernousov, who now faces a possible upgrade to gold subject to IOC confirmation.

Still, a new generation of athletes could challenge for gold in Pyeongchang, led by Sergei Ustyugov, who won five medals at this year's world championships. IOC bans on skiers from Sochi will weaken Russia's strength in depth for relay events, which make up one-third of the program.

BIATHLON

Under the IOC criteria, Russia should be able to field nearly a full team in biathlon, the country's most-watched winter sport.

Russia has been stripped of two medals from the Sochi Olympics, with three of the women's relay team banned, but the athletes concerned had already retired.

Seven-time world championship medalist Anton Shipulin could be the key medal contender for Russia, though he's started the new season slowly.

IOC rules could block Alexander Loginov, who returned from a two-year doping ban last season to win a world championship relay bronze.

source: AFP

themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle

Name *

E-mail *

Comment Title*

Comment *

: Characters Left

Mandatory *

Terms of use

Publishing Terms: Not to offend the author, or to persons or sanctities or attacking religions or divine self. And stay away from sectarian and racial incitement and insults.

I agree with the Terms of Use

Security Code*

russia faces winter games ban russia faces winter games ban

 



Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle

GMT 09:40 2017 Sunday ,17 December

May wins Brexit boost, but bigger battles await

GMT 06:33 2017 Friday ,01 December

Venezuela blames oil woes on 'sabotage

GMT 10:53 2017 Wednesday ,27 September

Fadl Shaker change residency after threats

GMT 08:37 2018 Tuesday ,23 January

Europe brings on charm and blue skies

GMT 22:55 2017 Tuesday ,07 February

Egypt backs Trump’s media criticism

GMT 09:50 2016 Thursday ,27 October

Voices concern over AT&T-Time Warner

GMT 07:48 2018 Sunday ,07 January

Globes newcomer Timothee Chalamet shoots

GMT 15:35 2017 Friday ,06 October

SAMA governor: Real GDP growth of 1.7% during 2016

GMT 11:42 2017 Tuesday ,31 October

Greece finds stand-up comedy amid economic tragedy

GMT 04:31 2017 Tuesday ,07 February

Oscar nominees feted at film academy luncheon

GMT 21:20 2011 Thursday ,29 December

The Art of Fielding

GMT 12:58 2017 Wednesday ,05 July

All-star Hayward agrees to sign with Boston Celtics

GMT 06:04 2015 Saturday ,11 April

Tiger-esque Spieth rewrites Masters record book

GMT 22:43 2014 Tuesday ,24 June

How brains store recent memories, cell by cell?

GMT 11:03 2017 Saturday ,18 February

Ecuadorians to go to polls to choose

GMT 11:51 2013 Saturday ,30 November

Schools set to offer e-textbooks next year in Shanghai
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
Themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle
 
 Themuslimchronicle Facebook,themuslimchronicle facebook  Themuslimchronicle Twitter,themuslimchronicle twitter Themuslimchronicle Rss,themuslimchronicle rss  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube  Themuslimchronicle Youtube,themuslimchronicle youtube

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©

muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle muslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle themuslimchronicle
themuslimchronicle
بناية النخيل - رأس النبع _ خلف السفارة الفرنسية _بيروت - لبنان
themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle, themuslimchronicle