Winter Olympics: Putin won’t stand in way of Russian neutrals

Russia will not prevent its athletes competing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics if they want to, President Vladimir Putin has vowed.

Alex Ovechkin hopes the Russian ice hockey team participates in the Winter Olympics.

Russia will not prevent its athletes competing at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games if they want to, President Vladimir Putin has vowed.

The IOC on Tuesday banned the Russian team from the Olympics after evidence emerged of an “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system, but left the door open for some Russians to compete as neutrals if they demonstrate they have a doping-free background.

It had been feared that Putin would prevent all Russian athletes competing, in protest at the ruling. But despite his angry rejection of the doping allegations, he said there would be no ban on Russians competing as neutrals.

“Without any doubt, we will not declare a blockade. We will not prevent our Olympians from taking part (in the Games) if one of them wants to participate in a personal capacity,” Putin said on state television.

However, he took aim at Grigory Rodchenkov, the former head of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory, whose allegations of state-sponsored doping and a cover-up at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics triggered investigations that ultimately led to the IOC decision.

Without identifying Rodchenkov by name, Putin said the IOC’s decision had been “mainly based on the testimonies of a person whose moral and ethical attitudes and psychological state raise many questions”.

“Most of the accusations are based on facts that have not been proven and are largely unfounded,” Putin said. He did not budge on Russia’s insistence that there was no state-sponsored doping system in the country.

“Why are our Olympians being banned from competing under the Russian flag and national symbols, if there is no state support for doping?” Putin said.

Meanwhile, South Korea has voiced regret over the decision to ban Russia, saying the participation of the country’s athletes was crucial to the Games’ success.

The South Korean sports ministry urged Russian athletes to compete as neutrals.

“The participation of winter sports athletes from around the world, including Russia, is the key to the success of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics and a crucial factor in realising the Olympic spirit,” said the ministry.

The presence of Russian athletes “who have shown outstanding performance in the many previous winter games, would make significant contributions to the success of the … Games”.

The absence of athletes from Russia, a winter sports powerhouse, would be a major blow to host South Korea, already battling under the shadow of North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.

The Games have also been hit by the decision by North America’s National Hockey League not to allow its athletes to attend.

The Pyeongchang organising committee said it would prefer if Russians competed under their own flag, but accepted as “second-best” the decision to allow their participation as neutrals.

Russian ice hockey star Alex Ovechkin, who plays with the Washington Capitals in the NHL, hoped the Russian team would participate in the Games even though they would have to wear neutral uniforms. At the Capitals’ morning skate yesterday, Ovechkin and fellow Russian Evgeny Kuznetsov said they would cheer for the Russian athletes who choose to go to South Korea.

A team of Russian players would be considered one of the favourites in the men’s hockey tournament.

Former NHL star Ilya Kovalchuk, who is playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, said players “definitely have to go to the Olympics”.

The KHL has not yet commented about the Olympics, though president Dmitry Chernyshenko was sanctioned for his role as part of the 2014 Sochi organising committee. If the KHL decides to opt out of the tournament and not stop its season, it could affect several countries’ rosters.

Ovechkin was vocal about representing Russia at the Olympics even if the NHL didn’t go, though he said before the season that it wouldn’t happen and hoped to play in Beijing in 2022.

He has played for Russia internationally 30 times, winning three world championship gold medals and called the Olympics a “once in a lifetime” opportunity.

Agencies