Russian leader Vladimir Putin praised Russian athletes on Friday for their participation in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing – who are playing despite a massive doping scandal resulting in Russia being officially banned from the Games.
Putin himself is banned from the event, but was present at the Opening Ceremonies as a personal guest of Chinese dictator Xi Jinping, a loophole in the ban.
Athletes in the Games are playing as part of the Russian Olympic Committee due to an ongoing doping penalty issued by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). They cannot fly the Russian flag or play the national anthem.
“I am certain that our athletes will deliver a worthy performance,” Putin told reporters Thursday, as quoted by TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency.
The Russian president attended the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing on February 4 as an
