Russian Olympians Have Chance of Marching Under National Flag - IOC

PYEONGCHANG (South Korea) (Sputnik) - Russian athletes who are due to compete at the Winter Olympics under a neutral flag have a chance of marching under the Russian national flag during the closing ceremony, Nenad Lalovic, a newly appointed member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board, said on Wednesday.

"Yes, it is. Of course it is possible, really possible," Lalovic, who is also the president of United World Wrestling (UWW), said when answering a question on whether there is a possibility that the Russian athletes would march under the Russian flag.

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On Tuesday, Russian IOC member Shamil Tarpishchev expressed hope of seeing the Russian team with national symbols at the closing ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Russian athletes are allowed to perform at the Winter Olympics in South Korea's Pyeongchang under a neutral flag because of the doping scandal that resulted in the IOC ban suspending the Russian Olympics Committee (ROC).

The scandal around the alleged systematic use of prohibited chemicals in Russian sports erupted in 2015, when the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accused Russia of multiple violations. In 2016, Richard McLaren, head of the WADA investigative team, presented a two-part report alleging the existence of a state-supported doping program in Russia. Russian officials have refuted the allegations, while admitting that the Russian sports had some doping-related issues. The scandal resulted in a lifetime ban for a number of Russian athletes and the revision of the 2014 Olympics result.

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