IOC Will Not Let Decision On Russia Overshadow Closing Ceremony

The IOC said that Sunday's Closing Ceremony will "not be overshadowed by a decision on whether or not Russian athletes can march under the Russian flag," according to the PA. An IOC panel is reviewing the sanctions against Russia and "will make its recommendation" to the Exec Board on Saturday. If the Olympic Athletes of Russia are "ruled to have acted with the letter and spirit of the eligibility procedures, the IOC may lift the suspension on Russia ahead of the closing ceremony." IOC Dir of Communications Mark Adams: "There is no way that (decision) can overshadow the closing ceremony." However, scrutiny of Russian athletes has "heightened after the Court of Arbitration for Sport announced on Monday that it had begun anti-doping proceedings" against OAR curler Alexander Krushelnitsky ( PA, 2/20 ). USA TODAY's Dan Wolken writes under the header, "IOC Don't Even Think About Reinstating Russia." Lifting the sanctions "should come with a zero-tolerance policy attached." It "doesn’t matter whether you think meldonium helps a curler" and it "doesn’t matter if every other Russian athlete here is clean." Any positive test "should be a non-starter." Reinstating Russia "will happen eventually anyway," but the IOC should do it in a "low-key manner in the middle of August, not in a way that celebrates their delegation and makes the rest of the countries here watch them literally wave their flag at the send-off for the Pyeongchang Games" ( USA TODAY, 2/20 ). Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, the former WADA President, said letting Team OAR march under the Russian flag sends a "hideous message." Pound said, "There’s no deterrent. The closing ceremony message will be entirely inappropriate -- it says to clean athletes that nothing’s being properly done. Russia is not at all contrite. There’s no admission, no promise to correct things" ( London EVENING STANDARD, 2/19 ).

ARE PENALTIES WORKING?   The NATIONAL POST's Steve Simmons notes Team OAR has "yet to win a gold medal" at the Games, which  means the IOC is "actually succeeding with its approach to Russia." The country has never concluded an Olympics without at least one Gold, and while the IOC's ban may have  been "accidental in approach ... it is exposing the Russians directly." The story here, is "basically this: clean Russians can’t win." Simmons: "C ould there be any sanction stronger and more powerful than inviting the Russians here and having them fall flat on their faces?" ( NATIONAL POST, 2/20 ). In N.Y., David Segal notes Russian fans are "disappointed by the performance" of Team OAR, but not many blame the "athletes or the government." They instead blame the IOC, which they "consider both corrupt and capricious." Segal: "A few fans will concede that some of their athletes might have been doping. But more than 160? They want evidence." Some fans also believe that the U.S. "is somewhat culpable, too." Former Russian speedskater Andrey Savinov asked, "Who is the biggest sponsor of the Games? It's NBC. They pay billions of dollars for the rights to broadcast" ( NYTIMES.com, 2/20 ).