Several Star Russian Athletes Remain Absent From Olympics Invite List - ROC

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russia's biathlete Anton Shipulin, short-track speed-skater Victor An and cross-country skier Sergey Ustyugov are currently not included in the list of potential participants of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) First Vice President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said Tuesday.
Sputnik

"Athletes, such as Victor An, Anton Shipulin or Sergey Ustyugov, were not involved in the proceedings within the framework of the Oswald commission, they were also never involved in any doping scandals, and all the numerous tests they took during their career prove that they are 'clean' athletes. Nevertheless, their names are currently not included in the list of potential participants of the Games," Pozdnyakov said, as quoted by his press service.

He noted that the ROC had sent an official letter to the IOC with a request to explain concrete reasons behind the decision not to invite a number of leading Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics.

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"As regards all the other items on the agenda of the talks related to technical and organizational issues, a lot of work has also been done, but now we focus, first of all, on the composition of our team. I would like to emphasize that at the moment all the information is preliminary. Today we will discuss the situation with the sports federations and continue the dialogue with the IOC, after which final decisions will be made," Pozdnyakov said.

On December 5, the IOC Executive Committee decided that Russian athletes will be able to perform at the 2018 Games, but only under the Olympic flag in the status of "athletes-Olympians from Russia". A special commission of the IOC is engaged in admission of Russian athletes.

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