The list of the athletes, who were not invited to participate in the Olympics, includes Lyudmila Belyakova, Anna Shibanova, Inna Dyubanok and Galina Skiba, according to the statement. Belyakova is known as one of the leaders of the Russian Female national ice hockey team and, unlike Shibanova, Skiba, and Dyubanok, she was not accused of any doping violations.
23 January 2018, 08:48 GMT
On Tuesday, the IOC issued a list of the Russian athletes, who were invited to take part in the games. The list did not include a number of leading Russian athletes in various sports including biathlon, speed skating, and ice hockey, who were not accused of any doping violations. The decision is preliminary and the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) is hoping to defend the athletes successfully before the IOC. Kremlin expressed regret over the exclusion of the athletes from the list of potential participants.
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On December 5, the IOC Executive Board suspended the Russian Olympic Committee over a doping scandal and withdrew the medals won by athletes found guilty of doping usage at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The IOC has allowed "clean" athletes to participate in the upcoming Winter Games under a neutral flag.
