Russian anthem may be banned at 2018 Olympics
The 2018 Olympic games are to take place in Pyeong Chang (South Korea) from 9 to 25 February. The conditions that will allow the Russian team to participate are still unclear.
The International Olympic Commitee is considering imposing sanctions against Russia after an investigation was done on the systematic use of doping in the country. The New York Times reported that the first option that is being considered by the IOC is to ban Russian contenders from the opening ceremony and from perfoming their national anthem.
Another option being considered is to let them participate under a ‘neutral’ flag and in a uniform with all national symbols stripped off. Completely banning Russia from participating is not an option.
On 28 October national anti-doping bodies appealed to the IOC to ban Russia from the upcoming winter Olympics. They stated that they will not, however, object if Russian teams participate under a neutral flag.
The results of an investigation done by Richard MacLaren, an IOC expert, were published in 2016. Russian heavy-weight and athletic teams as well as the entire Paralympic team were banned from the Rio games as a result of the investigation.
