More recently, the Winter Olympics XXIII ended in Pkhenchkhane. 102 sets of medals were drawn in 15 disciplines, which is a record figure. Awards were divided among athletes from 30 participating countries.
The competition lasted from 09.02 to 25.02. The team from Russia got 17 medals:
- gold - 2;
- silver - 6;
- bronze - 9.
This allowed the team to take 13th place in the overall standings. The winner in terms of the number of awards was Norway. In total, 39 medals were earned, which was a kind of record. Athletes from this country took home:
- gold - 14;
- silver - 14;
- bronze - 11.
In second place was Germany with 14 gold medals, 10 silver and 7 bronze. Third place went to Canada with 11 gold medals, 8 silver and 10 bronze.
The fate of Russia at the Olympics
In December 2017, the decision of the IOC to exclude the country from participation in competitions was announced. At the same time, athletes could take part in the Games only under a neutral flag.The team from Russia was called the Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR). The team was greatly weakened by the absence of dozens of the strongest athletes. Someone was involved in a scandal with doping, others refused to participate by their own convictions.
Gold medals brought the team hockey players and the young star of figure skating - Alina Zagitova. Silver medals went to figure skater Evgenia Medvedeva, Nikita Tregubov, a skeleton champion, figure skaters from a team tournament, a men's team of skiers in a relay, male sprinter team competitors in a free style and skier Alexander Bolshunov.
The skaters were won by skaters Semyon Elistratov and Natalya Voronina, skiers Denis Spitsov, Yuliya Belorukova, Andrey Larkov, Alexander Bolshunov. Also the bronze medals were won by the winners of the women's ski relay and freestylers Sergey Ridzik and Ilya Burov.
Most of all medals were brought to Russia by skiers. 8 medals were taken home by our athletes. On February 24, Alexander Bolsunov and Andrey Larkov won their awards. A little earlier, the same Bolshunov took the bronze medal in the sprint classic style in an individual fight. Both athletes brought the team silver in a team sprint match. It was here that Lvov and Alexey Chervotkin showed themselves. Another of the eight medals was for Yulia Belorukova, as well as for the team that participated in the relay. The team included Natalia Nepryaeva, Anna Nechaevskaya, Yuliya Belorukova and Anastasia Sedova. As a result, the Russian team earned more medals in the compartment than skiers from other countries combined.
The iconic gold hockey players
Hockey players from Russia were recognized favorites of the tournament. Some experts considered that the absence of NHL teams at these Games played a big role in this. Unfortunately, our hockey players began to struggle with failure and lost to Slovakia 2: 3. But further success returned to the guys and the next was a victory over Slovenia 8: 2. Following with a crushing score of Russia, hockey players from the USA lost 4: 0 and Norway 6: 1. In the semifinals, Russia met with the Czech Republic and overcame it with a score of 3: 0.
In the final, Germany became a rival to Russia. Bookmakers put on Russia with a probability of victory of 87%. Surprisingly the fight was hot. Russian fans had to be nervous. The Germans compared the score twice, and only at the finish line did our hockey players manage to get ahead and keep the advantage until the end of time. It was difficult, because in the end the Russians remained on the ice in the minority. The goalkeeper has been replaced by a field player. In overtime, the winning goal was abandoned.
This success is unconditionally the most important achievement in Russian hockey. The previous achievement was silver at the Olympics twenty years ago. Then in the final Russia lost to the Czech Republic. Prior to this, the gold medal went to the national team of the Republics of the former USSR in 1992. Then the team also, as now, performed under the white Olympic flag. This flag can be considered a symbol of the victory of Russian hockey players and a kind of talisman. This year, our team played the anthem of Russia during the sound of the Olympic anthem, which caused the affection and support of hundreds of thousands of citizens of Russia and abroad.
Doping problems
New Olympics have not passed the doping scandals. During the competition, several athletes were caught using illegal drugs. Among them, due to incomprehensible circumstances, there were Russian sportsmen from a sport that does not need to stimulate certain abilities of the body. Curlingist Alexander Krushelnitsky was accused of using meldonium. The athlete flatly refuses to admit guilt. Nevertheless, he did not prove his innocence. He refused to attend the sports arbitration court, as a result of which the hearings themselves were canceled. As a result, Krushelnitsky lost his bronze, which he earned in a pair with his wife Anastasia Bryzgalova.
The medal migrated to the Norwegian couple, which previously occupied fourth place.
Numerous responsible organizations intend to investigate the way in which doping has entered the athlete’s body. Among them:
- Federation of Curling of Russia;
- law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation and South Korea;
- International Olympic Committee;
- International Federation of Curling;
- CAS.
The second participant in the Olympiad, suspected of doping, was the bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva. In her body was found trimetazidine, which is also banned for use during the competition. Her results and 12th place at the Olympics were annulled. This athlete is also waiting for further proceedings.
Flag of Russia and the role of the IOC in the removal of the country
As is known, the flag of the Russian Federation remained under the ban throughout the course of the Games. Although the fans were hoping to the last that at least at the closing of the Olympics Russia’s banner would appear. The International Olympic Committee decided to keep the ban until the end of all events related to the Olympics.
The IOC Executive Board stated that all the facts were considered: the adoption of a strict anti-doping law and other measures. At the same time, it was decided by voting to keep the ban in force. Also, the IOC commission recommends not lifting the ban until all the participants of the Olympiad from Russia are checked for doping.
No other country in the history of the Olympics has not been subjected to such harsh measures. Apparently, for representatives of other countries that are part of the IOC, Russia will forever remain too serious a rival. And in war, even if it is sports, as we know, all means are good.
