MOSCOW, February 26. /TASS/. The performance by Russian athletes at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang can be called ‘a success’ in the medal standings, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday.
"Medals are the main indicators for Russian sport. And from the viewpoint of medals received, the performance of our Olympians can be considered as quite successful," the presidential spokesman said.
The Kremlin spokesman also pointed to the great "excitement caused by the gold medals received by our athletes and the national enthusiasm, which all of us witnessed."
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Such enormous fans’ support "is the best gauge of what is considered as a priority."
"And it is the success at the Olympics and the successful performance at the Olympic Games that are considered as a priority," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
The team of athletes from Russia won 17 medals at the PyeongChang Olympics, which ended on Sunday. Overall, the Russian ‘neutral’ athletes took home two gold, six silver and nine bronze medals. The gold medals went to Russian figure skater Alina Zagitova and the men’s ice hockey players who beat Germany 4-3 in overtime on the final day of the Olympics.
Late last year, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) over doping abuse allegations but allowed clean Russian athletes to participate in the 2018 Winter Games under the Olympic flag and in the neutral status of an Olympic Athlete from Russia (OAR). However, several dozen leading Russian athletes did not receive the IOC’s invitations to the PyeongChang Olympics.