According to a Reuters report, the U. S. athletes aren’t speaking to their Russian counterparts, saying they believe they’re doping.
American and Russian skeleton racers have had a chilly relationship at the Pyeongchang Winter Games, as the U. S. athletes are refusing to speak to their counterparts as a result of widespread doping allegations, Reuters reported on Tuesday .
The International Olympic Committee banned the Russian team from competing at the Winter Olympics in response to failed doping tests and « systematic manipulation » at the 2014 Games in Sochi. Russian athletes without a record of doping, however, are allowed to compete as neutral athletes.
That doesn’t sit well with American skeleton racers. Bronze medalist Matt Antoine explained the reasoning for lack of communication.
« Do I believe they’ve competed fairly? No, and I’ve been very vocal about that, » said Antoine, who won the bronze at the Sochi Games. « So I don’t really have a need to have a conversation with those athletes. »
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Russian skeleton racers told Reuters they feel unfairly ostracized and condemned.
« They scold us without evidence, » Russia’s Nikita Tregubov said. « We weren’t the ones who started it. It wasn’t us. I didn’t start anything. It’s up to (U. S. athletes) to start over for there to be a good atmosphere. »
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed during an interview last week with state-owned Russia-1 news that the Olympic doping allegations and subsequent ban of an official Russian team were orchestrated by the U. S. in an attempt to weaken the competition.
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