Russian and Olympic officials said on Friday that President Dmitry Medvedev was unlikely to attend the Olympic Closing Ceremony in Vancouver on Sunday.
A member of the International Olympic Committee told RIA Novosti that it did not expect Russia to be represented at the Closing Ceremony on the top level.
"We expect no such level of representation from Russia," said the official, who declined to be identified.
Medvedev has said he might visit Vancouver to watch some of the final Olympic events.
"It would be great to watch the ice hockey finals as well," he added.
That is unlikely to hold such appeal after Russia was swept off the ice by a rampant Canada on Wednesday, losing 7-3 to the Olympic hosts in the quarterfinals of the competition. The gold medal match will take place on Sunday, the final day of the Games.
Russia has so far put in a very disappointing performance in Vancouver, winning just three gold medals, and with the end of the Games now only three days away there is little scope for major improvement.
The 13 medals won so far match Russia's lowest-ever haul, from Salt Lake City in 2002, but even then there were five golds to celebrate.
Dmitry Chernyshenko, the head of organizing committee for the next Winter Olympic Games in Sochi in 2014, told journalists earlier on Friday that Russia would be represented by two deputy prime ministers, Dmitry Kozak and Alexander Zhukov. He said he was not aware if Medvedev was going to come for the ceremony.
The Kremlin could not be reached for comment.
Chernyshenko said the closing ceremony, which will take place at Vancouver's BC Place, would include the handover of the Olympic flag to Sochi Mayor Anatoly Pakhomov, symbolizing another step in the city's preparations to host the 2014 Games.
VANCOUVER, February 26 (RIA Novosti)
