The entire "Olympic Athletes from Russia" saga has been an awkward storyline in Pyeongchang, and things got even stranger Sunday morning.
MORE: The Simpsons successfully predicted a Winter Olympics gold eight years ago
After the OAR men's hockey team defeated Germany to win the gold medal, the Russians stood at attention during the medal ceremony. As the Olympic anthem played in place of the prohibited Russian anthem, the players responded by proudly singing their own national anthem, and the many Russian fans in the audience joined in.
Victorious 🇷🇺 players and fans sing the Russian national anthem over the Olympic anthem. #PyeongChang2018 pic.twitter.com/nz9B4o9wHG
— 7Olympics (@7olympics) February 25, 2018
Despite the display of national pride, the Russians will still be without a country, so to speak, in the closing ceremony for the Pyeongchang Olympics later Sunday. On Saturday, the International Olympic Committee voted not to allow the Olympic Athletes from Russia the opportunity to march under the Russian flag in the ceremony.
The IOC suspended Russia from the Winter Olympics in December after allegations of state-sponsored doping, although it granted 168 athletes the right to compete independently as Olympic Athletes of Russia (OAR). IOC president Thomas Bach said the commitee, "would have considered lifting the suspension. … However, two Olympic athletes from Russia failed doping tests here in PyeongChang. This was hugely disappointing."