At the last Winter Games, in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, it named 232 athletes to its team. When they barred Russia last month, Olympic officials left a side door open for athletes who could prove they were clean. Beyond being declared clean by the IOC, Russian athletes will need to have qualified for the Games by the standards of their respective sports. In Pyeongchang, Russian athletes will technically compete under the Olympic flag, with no Russian emblems identifying them or appearing at the opening ceremony on Feb. 9. Nonetheless, Russian athletes and officials have expressed pride that their athletes will be referred to by the acronym OAR, for Olympic Athlete from Russia.

Source: thestar January 19, 2018 22:44 UTC