Russia plans ‘alternative’ to Olympics
Vladimir Putin RUSSIAN officials say they will go ahead with plans to host an alternative Winter Olympics next month.
The move comes after a bid to add 45 athletes to Pyeongchang 2018 ended in failure just hours before Friday’s opening ceremony.
Russian athletes had been camped in a hotel close to the Olympic Village waiting for an arbitration rule on whether to overturn bans imposed by the IOC.
The 45-strong group had been barred due to their alleged links to doping.
They appealed the ruling in an attempt to join the 168 Russians who have already been cleared to take part in the Games as part of a team called Olympic Athletes from Russia.