Suspended but still present at the Games in Tokyo, Russia, in addition to having its own equipment, will also have an anthem in the event of an Olympic title.
"An excerpt from the first concerto for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky will be played in honor of the victories of our athletes," the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) said in a press release, adding that it had received authorization from the International Olympic Committee (CIO).
According to the ROC, the IOC must "send in the near future the appropriate letters to the international Olympic sports federations" to notify them of this decision.
The same work will represent Russia at the Beijing Winter Games, the Russian committee said.
A time considered, the "Katyusha" was refused
Giant of world sport, Russia was excluded in December for two years from major international competitions, after a cascade of cheating. Its athletes will be able to compete under a neutral banner, if they have never been convicted of doping. In its decision confirming the exclusion of Russia, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) also specified that "the Russian national anthem (or any anthem related to Russia) will not be played or sung officially." The Russian authorities had hoped to play instead “Katyusha”, a famous patriotic song often used during military parades, but this choice had been refused because it was too closely linked to Russia.
The opening of the first concerto for piano and orchestra by Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840-1893), the most famous of the national composers, had already been used in March for the Russian podiums at the world figure skating championships in Stockholm. Last week, Russia presented the “neutral” outfits that its athletes will wear, approved by the IOC. If the tunic should not represent the Russian flag, the three colors chosen (white, blue, red) are those of the country and the outfit differs little from those of previous Olympics. “The national flag is an important motivation for our sporting victories and unfortunately we cannot use it. But even without, no need for a lot of imagination, it is easy to distinguish the colors of our flag ”,ROC President Stanislav Pozdniakov commented during the presentation.
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