IOC Says No to More OAR Athletes -- PyeongChang 2018 Update

(ATR) The 13 active Russian athletes and two coaches whose IOC suspension was lifted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport on Feb. 1 won’t be invited to PyeongChang 2018.

The IOC on Monday declined a request from the suspended Russian Olympic Committee to allow them to participate for the Olympic Athlete from Russia group. The decision was based on the recommendation of the Invitation Review Panel, which is tasked with confirming that athletes can be considered clean for a potential OAR invitation to the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018.

Several reasons were given for the panel’s recommendation, including that members "observed that there were additional elements and/or evidence, which could not be considered by the IOC Oswald Commission because it was not available to it, that raised suspicion about the integrity of these athletes," according to an IOC statement.

The panel also said there was too much evidence against the two coaches for them to be considered for invitation to PyeongChang 2018.

For more details on the IOC's reasoning, clickhere.

"The panel once again did great work going through the cases anonymously," IOC President Thomas Bach said in comments to reporters.

"This means they did not know which information belonged to which athlete. They only had a number and access to all the different sources of information, and this makes the decisions of this panel and the implementation group so valuable because they are working scrupulously and in an equal and very fair way for all the athletes."

Father of Otto Warmbier to be Part of USA Delegation to PyeongChang

The father of the late Otto Warmbier, the American student who died days after being released from a North Korean jail, will be a part of the United States delegation to the PyeongChang Winter Games.

The Washington Post reports Fred Warmbier will be attending as a guest of Vice President Mike Pence, who is leading the delegation.

Otto Warmbier died last June, less than a week after he was released after serving 17 months in a North Korean prison. He returned home with extensive brain damage.

The 22-year-old had been sentenced to 15 years hard labor for stealing a political poster from a restricted floor in his hotel while on a tour of North Korea.

Olympic Truce Mural Unveiled in Olympic Village

The Olympic Truce Mural was unveiled on Monday at the PyeongChang Olympic Village Plaza.

IOC President Thomas Bach attended the ceremony along with Lee Hee-Beom, President of the Organising Committee for the Olympic Winter Games PyeongChang 2018 (POCOG); Angela Ruggiero, Chair of the Athletes’ Commission; Ryu Seung-min, Mayor of the PyeongChang Olympic Village; Gunilla Lindberg, Chair of the Coordination Commission for the PyeongChang Olympic Winter Games; and Do Jong-Hwan, Minister of Sport and Tourism of South Korea.

Representatives from several National Olympic Committees, including the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, were among those who added their signatures to the mural.

The Olympic Truce dates back to Ancient Greece, where athletes, artists and their families, as well as ordinary pilgrims, could travel in total safety to participate in or attend the Olympic Games, and return afterwards to their respective countries.

Since the Olympic Winter Games Turin 2006, the Truce has been represented by a Mural, and athletes and officials who take part in the Games are invited to sign it, inspiring peace through sport.

"Given the special circumstances, the time and place of these Olympic Winter Games, it should be clear for everyone why this Olympic Truce is as relevant today as it was in ancient times. More than ever, the world needs the Olympic values of peace and friendship," said IOC President Thomas Bach in a statement.

Six Nations Make Winter Games Debut in PyeongChang

PyeongChang 2018 will mark the addition of six more countries to the list of those who have been represented at a Winter Games.

Ecuador, Eritrea, Kosovo, Malaysia, Nigeria and Singapore are the latest to make their debut. Speed skating, cross country skiing, alpine skiing, figure skating and two-woman bobsleigh will be the disciplines in which the new athletes will compete.

For the athletes from the warmer climates, the forecast for the Opening Ceremony on Friday will be welcome news. Bitter cold temperatures in PyeongChang are expected to moderate by the end of the week, with a projected high of 41 Fahrenheit (5 Celsius) and a low of 27 Fahrenheit (-2.8 Celsius) expected on Friday.

Written by Gerard Farekin PyeongChang.

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