Russia BANNED from 2018 Winter Olympics!

[Axeman33]

Russia has no one to blame but themselves. The IOC asked them for certain things and when Russia wouldn't comply, this is the end result. Nice to see the IOC actually have the balls to do this.

[Call of Doughty]

The nightclubs are gonna take a big hit!

[agentzero]

I'd have banned the Russian athletes too. I know it sounds harsh, but Russia doesn't care. The athletes competing under the neutral flag know for who they compete.. so does the nation. If you want to hit them really hard, you ban everything Russia from the Olympics. That might stir some change... This just gives them the chance to improve their doping program for the next games...

[blayze]

This is a pretty solid move by the IOC.

Allowing athletes to compete neutrally is really a small concession to appease the minority of clean athletes... I expect Russia to withdraw all participation out of pride. It would be embarrassing for them if their athletes showed up as independents and won without sporting the Russian flag. They are better off abstaining all participation.

[donpaulo]

NHL tv was down today for most of the first few hours of game time

coincidence ?

[Jouko-Pouko]

This is a pretty solid move by the IOC.

Allowing athletes to compete neutrally is really a small concession to appease the minority of clean athletes... I expect Russia to withdraw all participation out of pride. It would be embarrassing for them if their athletes showed up as independents and won without sporting the Russian flag. They are better off abstaining all participation.

At the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Russian athletes competing under "Authorised Neutral Athletes" team won 1 gold and 5 silver medals, so it wouldn't be the first time this happened.

[2014olympicgold]

This is a pretty solid move by the IOC.

Allowing athletes to compete neutrally is really a small concession to appease the minority of clean athletes... I expect Russia to withdraw all participation out of pride. It would be embarrassing for them if their athletes showed up as independents and won without sporting the Russian flag. They are better off abstaining all participation.

Its a PR move from the IOC, this move will do NOTHING to stop Russia in the future from cheating. All it does is punish the people who were caught, and not the ones who got away with it.

Within like 2hrs of the announcement Putin had come out and said something along the lines of "If Russia isn't there, Russians won't be". Now the KHL will redo their schedule to not have the Olympic break and all the non-Russian hockey players in the KHL are screwed. If they terminate their contract to play in the Olympics, no Russian team will sign them ever again, and most that's their only real league they can play in and make a good living. So they go to the Olympics, they pretty much sign their good money making hockey career done.

Russia got caught altering 100s of top athletes tests, in Russia, while IOC officials were everywhere. They will not change their ways because of this, so why not throw a massive hammer down at Russia? It could even make Russia unite even more and say this was "Corruption against Mother Russia from the Evil Western World".

But I don't have the answer. Which sucks even more when you are unhappy with answer, to not have a solution.

[2014olympicgold]

At the 2017 World Championships in Athletics, Russian athletes competing under "Authorised Neutral Athletes" team won 1 gold and 5 silver medals, so it wouldn't be the first time this happened.

Putin already said they won't go.


Also, could someone have told Gary Bettman this was going to happen when he was going through the whole NHL/Olympics issue? I think so, he was very stern when going through the "negotiations" where he never swayed at all. Could have known what was coming. And when Ovechkin was told NHL players wouldn't go, he was disappointed but his feelings fizzled out, think he knew "Russia" wasn't going to be there?

Also, how soon before we hear from Don Cherry loving this choice and Trump bashing cheaters?

[Jouko-Pouko]

It could even make Russia unite even more and say this was "Corruption against Mother Russia from the Evil Western World".

This has been what Russians have thought about all this for a long time already. As said, Russians have been banned from Summer Olympics and different World Championships as well already, so this is nothing new. But there's no free press in Russia, so Russian people believe what Putin wants them to believe. It's a conspiracy against Russia if you ask them.

Putin already said they won't go.

That can easily still change. As said, they allowed their athletes to participate under neutral flag before, so they can do that again now. Many athletes don't want to participate under neutral flag but some of them do.

[2014olympicgold]

This has been what Russians have thought about all this for a long time already. As said, Russians have been banned from Summer Olympics and different World Championships as well already, so this is nothing new. But there's no free press in Russia, so Russian people believe what Putin wants them to believe. It's a conspiracy against Russia if you ask them.



That can easily still change. As said, they allowed their athletes to participate under neutral flag before, so they can do that again now. Many athletes don't want to participate under neutral flag but some of them do.

I just can't see Putin allowing this. What was happening at the WC and Rio is much different than what will happen at the Winter Olympics. But that's me personally, there is still the possibility they go.

There's 2 scenarios. Putin says "Go to the Olympics and show the Western World corruption against us won't stop us." and in this one it could be big for the election that'll happen soon. Athletes endorsing Putin for letting them go.

or 2. He takes his ball and goes home and doesn't participate in an Olympics that'll have very little Western World coverage, and thinks there's not going to be a lot of proving us wrong with them winning medals.

Also, at a world championship where someone did participate as "an athlete from russia" asked if she could wear blue red and white nail polish, for Russia obviously. But IOC said NO EFFING WAY. They would have stripped her of her medal for coloured nail polish. So I can't see an athlete whipping out a Russian flag after they win a medal. Just a side note to think about.

[Jouko-Pouko]

I just can't see Putin allowing this. What was happening at the WC and Rio is much different than what will happen at the Winter Olympics. But that's me personally, there is still the possibility they go.

There's 2 scenarios. Putin says "Go to the Olympics and show the Western World corruption against us won't stop us." and in this one it could be big for the election that'll happen soon. Athletes endorsing Putin for letting them go.

or 2. He takes his ball and goes home and doesn't participate in an Olympics that'll have very little Western World coverage, and thinks there's not going to be a lot of proving us wrong with them winning medals.

Also, at a world championship where someone did participate as "an athlete from russia" asked if she could wear blue red and white nail polish, for Russia obviously. But IOC said NO EFFING WAY. They would have stripped her of her medal for coloured nail polish. So I can't see an athlete whipping out a Russian flag after they win a medal. Just a side note to think about.

The only question for the election in Russia is - does Putin want to continue as their President or not. Apparently he's getting tired and might be stepping down. If he wants the job, there's no one even remotely close to challenge him. Support from athletes means absolutely nothing to him in that regard.

I think it comes down to what the Russian people want. If they want to see their athletes at the Olympics under a neutral flag, then Putin can be a hero and allow them to go. They want to keep their people happy and whatever they decide to do, it needs to appear as if Putin himself is the hero in that whole situation.

[2014olympicgold]

The only question for the election in Russia is - does Putin want to continue as their President or not. Apparently he's getting tired and might be stepping down. If he wants the job, there's no one even remotely close to challenge him. Support from athletes means absolutely nothing to him in that regard.

I think it comes down to what the Russian people want. If they want to see their athletes at the Olympics under a neutral flag, then Putin can be a hero and allow them to go. They want to keep their people happy and whatever they decide to do, it needs to appear as if Putin himself is the hero in that whole situation.

Whatever Putin decides the media will make it look like he's a hero. He'll make a decision and it'll appear right in Russia. But I feel like you have a much better feel on all this based on where you are in the world lol.

[Jouko-Pouko]

Whatever Putin decides the media will make it look like he's a hero. He'll make a decision and it'll appear right in Russia. But I feel like you have a much better feel on all this based on where you are in the world lol.

You're absolutely right about that first part. For the second part, well, right now not even the Russians know what will happen. They might go or they might not go. We should get final confirmation in a few days.

[Jouko-Pouko]

James Ellingworth @jellingworth

MOSCOW (AP) ? Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will not stop the country's athletes from competing at Pyeongchang Olympics.

Unrelated but apparently Putin will continue as the President of Russia (yeah, I know there's an election and everything but since he's running for the job, he'll get it).

[rataylor22]

Lots to unpack here.

Its a PR move from the IOC, this move will do NOTHING to stop Russia in the future from cheating. All it does is punish the people who were caught, and not the ones who got away with it.

Yes

Within like 2hrs of the announcement Putin had come out and said something along the lines of "If Russia isn't there, Russians won't be". Now the KHL will redo their schedule to not have the Olympic break and all the non-Russian hockey players in the KHL are screwed. If they terminate their contract to play in the Olympics, no Russian team will sign them ever again, and most that's their only real league they can play in and make a good living. So they go to the Olympics, they pretty much sign their good money making hockey career done.

That definitely did not happen. We're still waiting on the official response from Russia, unless it cam down this morning. But there wasn't an immediate response from Russia/Putin. As for non-Russian hockey players, I've always wondered this. Maybe Jouko can answer this. Is the KHL ~that~ much better for making money than many of the other Euro leagues? Like obviously Russian stars get paid a ton, but is Nigel Dawes or Ben Scrivens making double in the KHL that he could make in the Swiss league or Liiga?

Russia got caught altering 100s of top athletes tests, in Russia, while IOC officials were everywhere. They will not change their ways because of this, so why not throw a massive hammer down at Russia? It could even make Russia unite even more and say this was "Corruption against Mother Russia from the Evil Western World".

But I don't have the answer. Which sucks even more when you are unhappy with answer, to not have a solution.

The answer was to ban all Russian athletes from this Olympics, period.

Putin already said they won't go.

He made some comments about this prior to the decision, but he hasn't said anything regarding it after the decision.

Also, could someone have told Gary Bettman this was going to happen when he was going through the whole NHL/Olympics issue? I think so, he was very stern when going through the "negotiations" where he never swayed at all. Could have known what was coming. And when Ovechkin was told NHL players wouldn't go, he was disappointed but his feelings fizzled out, think he knew "Russia" wasn't going to be there?

Fairly unlikely. For a couple reasons. If the people in charge knew this was going to happen, the KHL not allowing their players to go would be a fairly reasonable assumption. As such, the IIHF would have been desperate to have the NHL there and would have made a much more enticing offer to be there, and the NHL would have been more inclined to be there, to use it as advertising as "this is what our world cup is, we give it to every 2 years" or whatever.

Also, how soon before we hear from Don Cherry loving this choice and Trump bashing cheaters?

You can certainly count on some strong xenophobia coming out from our national embarrassment Saturday night, although the US' national embarrassment is more likely to come out and slam the IOC for being unfair to Russia and something something sad.