Gangneung: The International Olympic Committee says Russia’s imminent return from a doping suspension won’t be derailed because its hockey players sang their national anthem.
The Russian men’s team defied IOC rules by singing the Russian anthem at their medal ceremony following Sunday’s 4-3 overtime win against Germany in the gold-medal game.
The IOC says “we understand that this was over excitement by the athletes who had just won a gold medal in extraordinary circumstances.”
The IOC suspended Russia’s membership in December over a doping scheme at the 2014 Olympics, but allowed 168 Russians to enter the Pyeongchang Olympics as “Olympic Athletes from Russia” in neutral uniforms.
They had to sign a document agreeing not to display any national symbols or protest the restrictions. The Olympic anthem played when Russians won gold.