Pulse logo
Pulse Region
Home

Russians won't get to march under their flag at closing ceremony

25 February 2018 at 2:42
PYEONGCHANG, South Korea — The International Olympic Committee has upheld its suspension of Russia as a team from the games, a move that will force its athletes to march in the closing ceremony without their national colors or flag.

The decision, in a vote here Sunday, came after two failed drug tests by Russian athletes — among more than 160 competing here under a special dispensation — and after a long night of talks among senior IOC officials.

Russia’s Olympic committee was banned in December after revelations of one of the most sophisticated doping programs in sports history, including corruption of the 2014 Sochi Games it played host to. The IOC will consider reinstating the Russian committee if all remaining drug tests for its athletes at the Winter Games come back clean.

The IOC decision came after two days of discussion.

“We should draw a line. We have to draw a line and look to the future,” said Nicole Hoevertsz, an IOC member from Aruba, who led a three-person panel monitoring Russian behavior at the games.

Recommended For You
Lifestyle
2025-03-18T12:40:12+00:00

The Sh83K statement shoes in Rachel Ruto’s timeless wardrobe

Rachel Ruto is no stranger to making bold yet elegant fashion statements, but during the state visit of the Dutch royals on March 18, 2025, it wasn’t just her outfit that stood out—it was her shoes. The Kenyan First Lady stepped out in a pair of brown suede block heels adorned with a gold emblem.
The Sh83K shoes that completed Rachel Ruto’s State Visit look

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

TARIQ PANJA © 2018 The New York Times

Kenya The New York Times entertainment

Subscribe to receive daily news updates.