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IOC suspends Russia from competing in Pyeongchang Olympic Games

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 21: View of the Olympic Rings after its inauguration ceremony at the Copacabana Beach ahead 2016 Rio Olympics on July 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)

Credit: Buda Mendes

Credit: Buda Mendes

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - JULY 21: View of the Olympic Rings after its inauguration ceremony at the Copacabana Beach ahead 2016 Rio Olympics on July 21, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes/Getty Images)
By Juliakate E Culpepper
Dec 5, 2017

The International Olympic Committee banned Russia from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang Tuesday as punishment for the state-sponsored doping that took place in the 2012 and 2014 Olympic Games.

The IOC also imposed lifetime Olympic ban on Russian Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko, the Associated Press reported. Mutko is also the organizer of soccer's 2018 World Cup.

Some Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Pyeongchang Games under a neutral flag as long as those competing have not been involved in the doping controversy and have taken regular test for doping.

The Russian athletes who compete will not be allowed to wear any Russian uniform or hear the Russia national anthem if they win a gold medal during the Games.

Tuesday’s decision marks the first time the IOC has placed a blanket ban on a country for doping.

More information to come as the story develops.

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Juliakate E Culpepper
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