Urgent: IOC suspends Russia from the PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Dec. 5 (Xinhua) -- The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Tuesday decided to suspend the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games, while paving a way for clean Russian athletes to compete without bearing the Russian national flag.

The IOC executive board decided to suspend the ROC with immediate effect. On the other hand, individual Russian athletes are invited under strict conditions to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

"These invited athletes will participate, be it in individual or team competitions, under the name 'Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR)'. They will compete with a uniform bearing this name and under the Olympic Flag. The Olympic Anthem will be played in any ceremony," said a statement on the IOC website.

The suspension followed the Schmid Report, which confirmed "the systemic manipulation of the anti-doping rules and system in Russia". Enditem