Can Russian Athletes Compete After The Olympics Ban? Only On One Condition

The looming Winter Olympics may look slightly different this year. On Tuesday, Dec. 5, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that Russia is barred from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, raising the question: can Russian athletes compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics? Yes, under one very important condition: athletes must be clean.

According to The New York Times, the IOC is taking the Russian doping scandal very seriously — but they still want clean Russian athletes to be able to compete. The Times reports that athletes with "histories of rigorous drug testing" may be allowed to compete in neutral uniforms.

But even if Russian athletes are given the go-ahead by Olympic officials, they cannot compete under their flag. Instead, athletes will wear neutral uniforms and compete under the Olympic flag, and if athletes win any medals, "the official record books will forever show that Russia won zero medals."

Further, government officials may not attend, the Russian flag will not be flown at the event, and their national anthem will not be played.

In a press conference announcing the ban — a punishment the likes of which the IOC has never before doled out — IOC Commissioner Samuel Schmid said, "We have never seen such manipulation and cheating" before, and Russia's actions have caused "unprecedented damage to Olympism and sport."

The severe punishments levied by the IOC are in response to a years-long investigation into an unprecedented, state-sponsored Russian doping program.

More to come.

Credit: Elite Daily