Russia to send athletes to Olympics under neutral flag

Russia’s Olympic Committee voted Tuesday to send its athletes to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics under a neutral flag after the country was banned from competing earlier this month, ABC News reported.

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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced last week that Russia was banned from competing in February’s games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, in retaliation for a state-backed doping program the committee said Russia carried out in recent years.

Russia’s flag will not be flown at the games and its anthem will not be played during the opening ceremony. However, Russian athletes are still able to compete under a neutral flag and in a neutral uniform, assuming they pass a drug test, according to ABC News.

Alexander Zhukov, who heads Russia’s Olympic Gaming Committee, said Tuesday he expects roughly 200 athletes will compete in the games, ABC News reported. Any medals they win will not count toward Russia’s medal count.

Russia’s ban expires after the 2018 Winter Olympics. The 2020 Olympic Games, Russia’s next opportunity to compete officially as a nation, will be held in Tokyo, Japan.