Russia Flaunts Flagless Uniform For Beijing Olympics Adhere To Doping Sanctions

Russia unveils national team uniforms for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics without a flag (Twitter @olympic_russia)

JAKARTA - Russia has unveiled the national team uniform for the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, which is designed without a flag with the Olympic and Olympic Committee logos left behind to comply with doping sanctions.

Zasprot, the official outfit supplier for Russia's Olympic team, unveiled the red, white, blue and gray uniform with the logo of the Russian Olympic Committee -- three flames in the colors of the national flag with the Olympic ring underneath -- instead of the country's flag.

Russian athletes are barred from competing at major international events, including the Olympics, under their national flag and anthem until December 2022.

едставляем олимпийскую оллекцию официального овщика ой оманды оссии омпании Zasport, XXIV зимних , оторые артуют 4 евраля 2022 ода в Пекине. #КомандаРоссии pic.twitter.com/oZ69ntO5xk

— Olympic Russia (@Olympic_Russia) December 10, 2021

The sanctions, imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which were later reduced to two years on appeal, were carried out to punish Moscow for providing international anti-doping authorities with falsified laboratory data that could help identify fraudulent drug use.

At the Beijing Olympics, which run from February 4-20, Russia will compete as representatives of the Russian Olympic Committee under the acronym "ROC," as they did at this year's Tokyo Summer Olympics.

As part of the sanctions, instead of the Russian national anthem, the music of composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky will be played while the gold medal winner is on the podium.

Russia was also stripped of its flag at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea as punishment for state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Many Russians were also barred from the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Russia has acknowledged some shortcomings in implementing anti-doping rules but denies running a state-sponsored doping program.