Putin lets athletes compete atWinter Olympics

PRESIDENT Vladimir Putin has said Russia will not boycott the Pyeongchang Olympics despite the International Olympic Committee banning the country’s team as punishment for doping violations.

Mr Putin said his government will allow Russians to compete as neutral athletes at the upcoming Winter Olympics in South Korea.

The IOC has banned the Russian team for doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Olympics – however, it plans to invite individual Russians to compete under the Olympic flag.

“Without any doubt we will not declare any kind of blockade,” Mr Putin said in televised remarks after launching his re-election campaign at a factory.

“We will not block our Olympians from taking part, if any of them wish to take part as individuals. They have been preparing for these competitions for their whole careers, and for them it’s very important.”

Mr Putin said Russia still did not accept accusations that it ran a state-backed doping system at the Sochi Olympics, and called the IOC ruling unfair “collective punishment”.

Russian athletes, coaches and politicians have lined up to condemn the IOC ruling, but most say it is better to accept it and compete.

Russian IOC member Yelena Isinbayeva, a two-time Olympic gold medallist in the pole vault, came out against a boycott.

“I’d like to tell all Russian athletes preparing for the Olympics in Pyeongchang not to get disappointed in any case and definitely not to do anything stupid like a boycott,” she told state TV. “It’s clearly not worth it.” Isinbayeva said the IOC choice of “Olympic Athletes from Russia” as the official designation, instead of a more neutral tag, decided the issue for her.