Amid Doping Scandal, Russia Says Vladimir Putin Will Attend 2022 Beijing Olympics
NDTV
Invited by Chinese President Xi Jinping to the 2022 Olympics, Russia's Vladimir Putin will be able to bypass the international sporting events ban.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will travel to China for next year's winter Olympic Games, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday, while Moscow remains under penalties for state-sponsored doping.
"Putin with delight has accepted the invitation of Xi Jinping to visit the winter Olympic Games in February 2022," Lavrov said during a meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Tajikistan.
The highest court in sports last year banned Russia from international competitions for two years as punishment for its state-backed doping programme at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi.
However, some Russian athletes are allowed to compete as neutrals -- without using the Russian flag or anthem -- if they can prove their doping record is clean.
