IOC lift Russia’s Olympic ban

THE International Olympic Committee restored russia’s membership yesterday, claiming that no positive tests beyond the two for athletes caught doping at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang was enough to end their exclusion.

no matter that two athletes declared clean enough to compete under the Olympic athletes from russia banner had brought more disgrace on their country.

alexander Krushelnitsky was stripped of his bronze medal in the mixed curling, while nadezhda Sergeeva was banned after competing in the bobsleigh.

But that only saw russia’s ban extended to the closing ceremony in Pyeongchang and, despite evidence of systemic doping and widespread cheating in Sochi four years earlier, they have now been welcomed back into the fold.

The IOC had said it would reinstate russia if there were no more failed drugs tests after two of their 168 athletes were caught in South Korea.

and yesterday they said that all the remaining test results were negative.

‘as stated in the executive board decision of February 25, the suspension of the russian Olympic Committee is automatically lifted with immediate effect,’ the IOC said in a statement.

Meanwhile, GB and northern Ireland hurdler andrew Pozzi insists he is out to mark his breakthrough anniversary with more silverware at the World Indoor Championships this weekend.

The team’s joint captain starts his bid for gold in the 60metre hurdles in Birmingham on Saturday. It will be exactly 12 months since Pozzi won his first major title, when he claimed the European Indoor title in Belgrade.

‘I’m looking to medal, I’ve shown I have the quality to do that,’ he said with the Championships starting today. ‘ It’s a cool little anniversary but I won’t go out to celebrate on Saturday.

‘I want to medal and, from the World Indoors in the past, this is where my career needs to have a step on.’

Pozzi came third in the Glasgow Grand Prix on Sunday and faces 2012 Olympic champion aries Merritt and Jamaica’s ronald Levy in a strong line-up.

Laura Muir could claim the hosts’ first medal today when she races in the 3,000m final along with Eilish McColgan.

Morgan Lake and robbie Grabarz compete in the women’s and men’s high jump, but 2012 Olympic champion Greg rutherford has withdrawn from the long jump in a bid to be fully fit for the European Championships in august.