Olympic Games: Decision on starting permission for Russian athletes shortly before Olympic Games

Decisions on the admission of Russian athletes to the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang are not expected to take place until shortly before the start of the competitions.

“The last qualifications run until the end of January. We must now gather the information and then make our decisions at the end of the qualification period,”said former French Sports Minister Valerie Fourneyron to the L’ Equipe.

Fourneyron leads the newly appointed committee, which draws up a list of eligible athletes. The IOC has the final say, however. Fourneyron is also chairperson of the independent authority for doping testing (ITA).

On Tuesday evening, the IOC had excluded Russia from the games in South Korea because of the doping scandal, but allowed Russian athletes to start as “Olympic athletes of Russia” under certain conditions. These requirements include, among other things, athletic qualifications and various requirements on the subject of doping.