The IOC report confirmed the findings of investigations commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, which found evidence that Russia concealed doping by hundreds of its athletes for years, aided by the country’s intelligence services, with the cover-up reaching a crescendo during the 2014 Winter Olympics, which Russia hosted in Sochi. An investigation, conducted by the Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren for the World Anti-Doping Agency last year, led to Russia being partly excluded from the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
That year, facing similar calls to exclude Russia from the Rio Olympics, the IOC pushed the decision onto individual sports’ international federations, allowing them to choose which Russian athletes could compete. Although virtually all of Russia’s track and field team was barred from the Rio Games, the country was able to field about 70 percent of its Olympic team.
This time, anti-doping agencies and many athletes demanded the IOC impose a tougher penalty, arguing that Russia has not done enough to clean up its act.
Russian officials attacked the decision as unfair. Some Russian politicians immediately raised the possibility that the country would boycott the Winter Olympics, with the first deputy speaker of Russia’s parliament, Ivan Melnikov, saying it would be “incorrect” for Russia’s team to travel to Pyeongchang under a neutral flag. Speaking to the news agency Interfax, however, he suggested that the Kremlin may decide otherwise, in which case he would support its decision.
“Should our country’s leadership and national sports decide otherwise, we will still be cheering for our people,” he said. “In this case, it is important to build an information campaign around the games in a particular way.”
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the IOC’s decision, but on Monday spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it was not considering a boycott, though President Vladimir Putin would make the final decision.
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