169 Russian athletes have been approved for participation in Pyeongchang's Winter Olympics under a neutral flag, the Russian Olympic Committee announced on Thursday on its website.
Russian Sports Minister Pavel Kolobkov told the reporters that the approved athletes will decide themselves whether they will take part in the Games.
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Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted that none of the 169 Russian competitors stated willingness to refuse to participate in the Olympics.
IOC on Thursday published a list of 17 criteria, which guided the decision over the invitation of Russian athletes to participate in the Games. Among the athletes who have not received an invitation to the Olympics were biathlonist Anton Shipulin, short tracker Victor An, skier Sergei Ustyugov and other leaders of the Russian national team in different sports.
After the IOC Executive Board suspended the Russian Olympic Committee over a doping scandal and withdrew the medals won by athletes found guilty of doping usage at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, it has allowed only "clean" athletes to participate in the upcoming Winter Games under a neutral flag.
