IOC approves Russian Olympic Committee’s uniforms for the Beijing 2022 Winter Games

According to Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has approved the uniforms Russian athletes will wear at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Pozdnyakov was quoted by the Russian state news agency, TASS, as saying, “we finally get the uniform approved by the IOC a week ago. There were some difficulties, there was a discussion. However, we were able to convince our colleagues on the main points”

“The idea will be similar to the one we had in Tokyo: the ROC emblem will be placed as well as all the colors of the Russian tricolor. At the beginning of December, the Zasport company will present it to the public.”

The special uniform criteria for the Russian Federation stems from sanctions imposed originally by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

It was revealed in the lead up to the 2016 Summer Olympics that the Russian government had been engaged in a state-sponsored doping program to improve the performance of their athletes. The consequences for this breach of clean sport included a ban on the use of the Russian flag at major championships and the Olympic Games.

The initial ban imposed by WADA was supposed to last four years, but was ultimately reduced down to two years by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). The CAS ruling stated that Russian athletes may not compete under the Russian flag, state symbols, or national anthem until the end of the ban on December 16, 2022.

The 2022 Winter Olympics will be the third consecutive edition of the Games where the Russian flag will be absent. Russian athletes had to compete under the name “Olympic Athletes from Russia (OAR)” during the 2018 Winter Olympics due to sanctions leveled on the Russian Olympic Committee by the International Olympic Committee.

Two athletes from the Russian delegation at the 2018 Winter Olympics tested positive for banned substances; a statistic the Russian Olympic Committee likely hopes to avoid this time around as the organization works to move on from the doping scandal.

Russian athletes will be present in Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. They will compete under the Russian Olympic Committee and its flag, with the Russian anthem replaced by Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1. As stated by Pozdnyakov, the team’s uniforms will likely be similar to those worn by Russian athletes during the 2020 Summer Olympics.

The 2022 Winter Olympics are scheduled to run from February 4 to February 20, 2022.