Russia has given its “Olympic Athletes” an overwhelming and triumphant welcome at the return of winter games in Pyeongchang.
When the 168 “OAR”activists jumped out of their aircraft on Monday at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, a huge crowd cheered enthusiastically on the athletes with bouquets of flowers in the national colours and Russian national flags in their hands who had started in South Korea because of the state doping affair under neutral flags.
Thousands of sports fans in particular celebrated the men’s ice hockey team and the 15-year-old figure skater Alina Sagitowa, who had secured the only two Olympic victories in South Korea by Russian athletes.
However, representatives of President Vladimir Putin’s Russian government did not come to the airport to welcome the OAR delegation, which had won a total of 13 medals in Pyeongchang.
“Many had doubts about participation in the games. However, I am convinced that since Sunday no one can doubt that it is good that Russia and no one else has won the gold medal in hockey. Our activists have fought with their hearts,”said President Alexander Zhukov of Russia’s still suspended Olympic Committee in a reference to the “Sbornaya” for the 4-3 victory in the Olympic finals after extra time against the German national team.
In the euphoric atmosphere at the airport, Sergei Andronov was unable to resist a side-stroke against the sanctions against Russia in the euphoric atmosphere of the Russian runner-cracks because of the state doping scandal:”All this has only made us even stronger. We’ve proven that nothing can break our country.”
The OAR delegation, unlike in Moscow, hoped last Sunday could not return to the closing ceremony of Pyeongchang under Russia’s national flag. This was due to the exclusion of Russia’s Olympic Committee, which was initially maintained except for the analysis of all doping controls.
Despite the sanctions, the OAR hockey players had sung the Russian national anthem at the award ceremony with the Olympic anthem on the ice and thus caused a sports political mismatch.