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By Karolos Grohmann

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea (Reuters) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) dashed Russian athletes’ hopes of marching behind their national flag at the Winter Games on Sunday, deciding against immediately lifting Russia’s Olympic suspension after fresh doping violations.

Russians have been competing as neutral athletes at the Games, their Olympic status suspended, as IOC punishment for years of drug scandals involving allegations that Russia ran a systematic, state-backed drug-cheating program.

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The IOC said two Russian doping violations during the Pyeongchang Games had marred an otherwise clean report card for the Russian delegation at the Games.

“This was hugely disappointing and, in addition to other considerations, prevented the IOC from even considering lifting the suspension for the closing ceremony,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in presenting the recommendation to IOC members.

Bach said Russia’s Olympic status would only be restored once it was confirmed the Russians had committed no other doping violations at Pyeongchang.

Competition at the Winter Games concludes on Sunday and final drug testing results might not be known for several days or even weeks.

“I’m very disappointed,” said Elena Valbe, president of the Russian cross-country skiing federation.

“Some athletes stayed behind later with the hope that they would be walking under the Russian flag. I’ve heard athletes say that they were staying just because they wanted to walk with the flag and in our uniform.”

Former Olympic ice hockey champion Igor Larionov told Reuters it would be hard for Russian players to stand on the podium under the Olympic flag if they won the ice hockey gold medal in their final against Germany later on Sunday.

“Time needs to pass for the right to have the flag back, I think,” the Russian said. “It is difficult for me to understand how any figure skater, hockey player or skier can win gold and stand on the podium without their flag. It’s sad.”

‘DROWNING MAN’

Russia’s Olympic delegation chief and its figure skating silver medalist, Evgenia Medvedeva, had made a last appeal to the IOC on Saturday for their suspension to be lifted, apologizing for the two doping violations during the Games.

Medal-winning curler Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva failed doping tests, angering a team that had been through extensive testing before and during the first days of Games competition without returning any positive results.

The lawyer for Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Russian doping laboratory director who turned whistleblower and helped expose the drugs scandal, said “cooler heads” at the IOC had prevailed and stopped Russia’s immediate Olympic return.

Rodchenkov currently lives in hiding in the United States.

“Thomas Bach was a drowning man, but finally cooler heads within the IOC threw him a life preserver,” Jim Walden said in a statement.

“Yet, in the decision, the IOC had the gall to claim Russia ‘respected’ its decision on December 5th to institute the suspension. The acrimony caused by Bach’s mismanagement should be his undoing,” Walden said.

At the Games, the Russians have been unable to wear national uniforms or have their anthem played at medal presentations.

Russian delegation chief Stanislav Pozdnyakov has said that the prospect of flying the flag at Sunday night’s closing ceremony meant more to his athletes than winning medals.

In December, the IOC had held out the prospect of lifting Russia’s suspension for the closing ceremony, on the condition its athletes met a strict code of conduct, including compliance with anti-doping rules and observance of athlete neutrality.

Before voting on Sunday to maintain the suspension, Russian IOC member Shamil Tarpischev said the team had complied with all of the conditions.

“The two doping cases account for the lack of culture and education (of the individuals). They are isolated,” he said.

(Reporting by Karolos Grohmann, Additional reporting by Gabrielle Tetrault-Farber; Editing by Mark Bendeich and Peter Rutherford)