Russia Banned from Winter Olympics by I.O.C.<br />The decision was announced after top International Olympic Committee officials had met privately with Mr. Zhukov; Vitaly Smirnov, Russia’s former sports minister who was last year appointed Mr. Putin to lead a national antidoping commission to redeem Russia’s standing in global sports;<br />and Evgenia Medvedeva, a two-time world skating champion.<br />“Everyone is talking about how to punish Russia, but no one is talking about how to help Russia,” Mr. Smirnov said,<br />sipping a hot beverage in the lobby of the Lausanne Palace Hotel before delivering his final appeal to officials.<br />Olympic officials made two seemingly significant concessions to Russia:<br />¶ Any of its athletes competing under a neutral flag will be referred to as Olympic Athletes from Russia.<br />¶ Olympics officials said they might lift the ban on Russia in time for the closing ceremony, suggesting<br />the nation’s flag could make a symbolic appearance in the final hours of the Pyeongchang Games.<br />“This decision should draw a line under this damaging episode,” Mr. Bach said at a news conference, noting<br />that Alexander Zhukov, the president of Russia’s Olympic Committee whom the I. O.C.<br />O.C., has said he was perturbed not only by Russia’s widespread cheating but by how it had been accomplished: by corrupting the Olympic laboratory<br />that handled drug testing at the Games, and on orders from Russia’s own Olympic officials.<br />The Russian Olympic Committee was also fined $15 million on Tuesday, money<br />that global officials said will be put toward drug-testing international athletes.
