Three weeks before the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, sports officials are still deliberating which Russian athletes will receive special clearance to compete, stirring speculation that the International Olympic Committee’s ban on Russia for its doping schemes will ultimately prove less severe than it was billed.
A panel appointed by the I.O.C. last month has received applications from hundreds of Russian athletes who hope to compete in Pyeongchang. (Because Russia’s Olympic team is technically barred, the athletes would compete under the Olympic flag.) That panel is expected to conclude its review within the next week, ruling on which Russians have effectively demonstrated that they are clean and should be given the chance to circumvent the ban on their nation for systematic cheating at the last Winter Games.
