IOC's decision: (clean) Russian athletes can compete under neutral flag at PyeongChang Olympics

[Twilight1]

Won’t Team “Olympic Athletes from Russia” still win the gold medal?

Unless they crash and burn or Canada skates balls to the walls.

 

[wickedwitch]

How about for the figure skaters we advocate they play their long program music?

Then I'll be extra thankful Med's not using last year's "music."

 

[caseyedwards]

Neither is systemic cheating.

I feel for athletes like Voronov, who will probably never have another shot at the Olympics. Even under the best-case scenario, they'll never have the experience of representing their country as Olympians. If clean Russian athletes like Medvedeva win, they won't get to see their flag hoisted, or hear their national anthem.

But Russian cheating took that experience away from clean athletes in Sochi. This decision is just, and fair: it punishes the system responsible while letting the athletes compete as Olympians. That is an honor, and an opportunity that l hope they will have.

This is like vengeance! It’s like the death penalty.

 

[coppertop1]

Neither is systemic cheating.

I feel for athletes like Voronov, who will probably never have another shot at the Olympics. Even under the best-case scenario, they'll never have the experience of representing their country as Olympians. If clean Russian athletes like Medvedeva win, they won't get to see their flag hoisted, or hear their national anthem.

But Russian cheating took that experience away from clean athletes in Sochi. This decision is just, and fair: it punishes the system responsible while letting the athletes compete as Olympians. That is an honor, and an opportunity that l hope they will have.

This. It’s fair. Why punish the clean athletes and ban them? They did nothing wrong. However this must be punished. What happened has to be punished. Punishments aren’t supposed to be enjoyable.

 

[MsZem]

Can they hold a contest for the "neutral" anthem like Eurovsion?

Rise like a Phoenix! A tribute to overcoming adversity and to Pogo, all in one!

 

[becca]

The way that I see it...this will give the Russian figure skaters (and athletes in other sports) even more incentive to win medals. Imagine if Russians win the most medals. They can boast: "Our medals may not have counted in the national tally but we have the most!"

Putin should tell his clean athletes: Go for it and show everyone who's #1!

Just curious if the Russian hockey team can compete as a collection of neutral athletes?

That's what I think as well. Maybe the tv channel will relent. Everyone knows who they represent really

 

[skatingguy]

Unless they crash and burn or Canada skates balls to the walls.

In other words, what @skipaway said.

 

[GarrAargHrumph]

I really hope that the Russian athletes get to go.

 

[Lanie]

I'm fairly shocked they did it, but with the evidence I'm glad something has been done, though it's awful for the clean athletes. I feel so badly for them.

 

[wouldacoulda]

He did address neutrality directly. He said total humiliation.

This statement was made weeks ago. I'm waiting for Putin's press conference tomorrow.

 

[chattila]

Will fans not be allowed to wave the Russian flag from the stands? No yelling "Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!" The big Plushy banner with the drawing of Pluschenko and a Russian flag on the side will also be banned?

 

[caseyedwards]

Will fans not be allowed to wave the Russian flag from the stands? No yelling "Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!" The big Plushy banner with the drawing of Pluschenko and a Russian flag on the side will also be banned?

IAAF banned all that.

 

[Hanna]

How about for the figure skaters we advocate they play their long program music?

Can't wait for a Tarasova/Morozov win in this case.

 

[caseyedwards]

This statement was made weeks ago. I'm waiting for Putin's press conference tomorrow.

Doubt he flip flops!

 

[Lanie]

Will fans not be allowed to wave the Russian flag from the stands? No yelling "Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!" The big Plushy banner with the drawing of Pluschenko and a Russian flag on the side will also be banned?

I'd sure love to never hear screaming of Rossiya! again considering the lovely sportsmanship and support the audiences at Sochi had for non-Russian skaters. UGh.

 

[MsZem]

Whatever will Sotskova do without a Plushenko banner.

 

[Karen-W]

Will fans not be allowed to wave the Russian flag from the stands? No yelling "Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya! Ros-si-ya!" The big Plushy banner with the drawing of Pluschenko and a Russian flag on the side will also be banned?

IAAF banned all that.

That could get really ugly, if the WOG Organizing Committee has to enforce those type of rules on the spectators.

I find it interesting that the main Russian TV broadcaster is refusing to show the WOG. It makes me wonder if Putin has decided to force all of the athletes to skip after all...

 

[bardtoob]

I wonder if Medvedeva could change her SP music to Kalinka and her LP music to the "Soviet National Anthem" without lyrics ...

 

[danibellerika]

I despise the politics that are associated with the Olympics - and even in figure skating there is so much that goes on behind the scenes that affects outcomes for athletes. But, I enjoy many of the sports and support the efforts of the athletes that give so much to compete and further their own sport. There is a good side to the Olympics.

So true. In Helsinki I congratulated a ladies skater that didn't make the final but had a really good SP skate. I enjoyed her performance. We had a pleasant conversation and realized we were from the same area (I believe she was american but skates for another country, or at least lives and trains here). I told her I thought the scores should have been higher and she just smiled and told me that it's politics, resigned.

 

[Ka3sha]

Could you please give the link to this briefing?

Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=ua5YjrY7QOA

I must say, I've never been a fan of Evgenia's skating but I respect her tremendously.
The way she answered all those questions and and behaved at the briefing is just

 

[WildRose]

Putin can easily turn this into a huge propaganda victory in Russia. When the athletes get home he can hold a big ceremony and give them all Russian medals. He’s a master at this stuff. I’ll bet these athletes end up being celebrated even more than they would have otherwise.

 

[npavel]

Tatiana Tarasova on Russian Olympics ban: "this is a murder of our national sport" -- um well, yeah, using FSB agents to funnel hundreds of urine samples in a state-sponsored scheme to avoid drug detection has that effect on sport

 

[npavel]

And my question: how about judges from Russia, are they banned too?

 

[skatingguy]

I wonder if Medvedeva could change her SP music to Kalinka and her LP music to the "Soviet National Anthem" without lyrics ...

Imagine the miming opportunities.

 

[skatingguy]

And my question: how about judges from Russia, are they banned too?

I think those decisions are going to be made on a case by case basis.

 

[becca]

Imagine the miming opportunities.

The program: A Tribute to the Motherland.

 

[SmallFairy]

Here is the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=ua5YjrY7QOA

I must say, I've never been a fan of Evgenia's skating but I respect her tremendously.
The way she answered all those questions and and behaved at the briefing is just

Go Med!!
Norwegian news just showed some of the aftermath from the press conference. Evgenia was standing between two of the Russian officials (sorry, I don't know names) and she looked very taken by the situation

 

[Maofan7]

In the end, it was no bad thing that I have missed the last 2 months in light of this nonsense. I have been recovering from sciatica, which was not helped by being injured in a road traffic accident at the beginning of November. I am finally walking again, am on the mend, and hope to have fully recovered by the end of the year.

I will be boycotting the remainder of this season. Yet again, politics ruins sport! Will probably be back at the beginning of next season, by which time hopefully all the BS will be out of the way

@Bunny Hop - many thanks for keeping the video threads going, and many thanks to those others who have contributed as well. Great job

 

[BlueRidge]

In the end, it was no bad thing that I have missed the last 2 months in light of this nonsense. I have been recovering from sciatica, which was not helped by being injured in a road traffic accident at the beginning of November. I am finally walking again, am on the mend, and hope to have fully recovered by the end of the year.

I will be boycotting the remainder of this season. Yet again, politics ruins sport! Will probably be back at the beginning of next season, by which time hopefully all the BS will be out of the way

@Bunny Hop - many thanks for keeping the video threads going, and many thanks to those others who have contributed as well. Great job

@Maofan7, so sorry to hear what you've been going through! We missed you! Best wishes for a full recovery.

 

[bardtoob]

I wonder if a Russia Pair would consider doing a Tetris Themed set of programs.

Games in Concert - Tetris