(ATR) Russian President Vladimir Putin says the country will not boycott the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics.
"Without any doubt we will not declare any kind of blockade," Putin said on television at a campaign event to mark his re-election bid. "We will not block our Olympians from taking part, if any of them wish to take part as individuals.
"They have been preparing for these competitions for their whole careers, and for them it's very important."
Putin’s comments come one day after the International Olympic Committee chose to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee and top Russian sports officials from February’s Games. Despite the suspension, the IOC opened the door for neutral Russian athletes to qualify if they meet stringent criteria that distances them from the institutionalized doping schemes of the past.
Russian athletes who qualify for PyeongChang 2018 will do so under the guise of "Olympic Athletes from Russia" and will wear uniforms with this designation. If victorious, the athletes will not hear the Russian national anthem while upon the podium, instead being congratulated by the Olympic anthem.
In his comments, Putin noted that it was important the IOC did not utilize the phrase state-sponsored doping in its decision.
"This was a very important conclusion," he said according to TASS.
"We are facing a question here why the Olympians were barred from participating [in the Games] under the Russian national flag and displaying the state official symbols, if there never was a state-sponsored doping system," Putin added.
The Russian President also threatened action against those who were responsible for the ban, potentially spelling trouble for sports minister Vitaly Mutko. Mutko was handed a life-ban from the Olympics by the IOC yet is still the chairman of the Russia 2018 World Cup. Russian Olympic Committee President Alexander Zhukov was also suspended from the IOC.
"Punishments must be served on those who are guilty," Putin said.
Written by Kevin Nutley
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