Russia's Olympic Privileges Restored After Ban from 2018 Pyeongchang Games

The International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday that Russia has been reinstated for future editions of the Games after being banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, following a widespread doping scandal at the 2014 Sochi Games.

The IOC confirmed the decision in a statement released on the Olympic website.

"The final notification of all remaining test results from the Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR) delegation has been received from the Doping-Free Sport Unit (DFSU).

"The IOC can confirm that all the remaining results are negative.

"Therefore, as stated in the Executive Board decision of 25th February the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee is automatically lifted with immediate effect."

Russian Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov said the news was of the "utmost importance" on the country's state TV, according to the Guardian.

"I would like to thank our athletes who were able to perform well even despite the provocations," he said. "I thank the fans who did not cross the line and what could result in sanctions. Today's IOC's decision is very important for us. The ROC is an absolutely full-fledged member of the Olympic family."

Although Russia was formally banned from this month's Games, 168 athletes from the nation were still allowed to compete under the neutral distinction of Olympic Athletes from Russia.

It even captured one of the Olympics' most prominent gold medals in men's ice hockey. Ilya Kovalchuk, Pavel Datsyuk and Nikita Gusev led the team to five straight victories, including a 4-3 overtime triumph over Germany in the title game, after a shocking loss to Slovakia in its opener.

However, two Russian athletes, curler Alexander Krushelnitsky and bobsledder Nadezhda Sergeeva, failed doping tests during the Games. Krushelnitsky returned his bronze medal from mixed doubles.