Athletistic/Figure skating. Russian State Duma deputy and Olympic speed skating champion Svetlana Jourova has described the IOC’s decision not to invite Russian figure skaters to the medal ceremony of the team tournament at the 2022 Olympic Games as an attempt to avoid a scandal.

On August 7 in Paris, the IOC awarded gold medals to the U.S. team and silver medals to the Japanese team. Russian figure skaters were not invited to the ceremony, citing the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and logistical problems.

“I think the IOC really did not find a way out of this situation. At the previous Olympics, figure skaters received medals as neutral athletes from Russia, and then the flag of our Olympic Committee was present. In this case, organizing the awards ceremony could lead to additional difficulties. Imagine how much it would cost to bring all the athletes from Russia. What flag would you fly? Ukraine could organize such a confrontation. The IOC tried to avoid a scandal, saying that it was difficult to organize an event in such conditions. For other teams, everything is simple, but for ours it is difficult,” Zhurova is quoted by RIA Novosti.

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Athletistic