Russian Olympic medalists quarantined before meeting Putin, the athlete says

MOSCOW, Aug 31 (Reuters) – Russian Olympic medalists have been quarantined for a week after returning from the Tokyo Games so they can meet President Vladimir Putin, one of the team’s athletes said on Tuesday.

The Russians won 71 medals, including 20 gold, at the Olympics, a result won at home despite the country competing without its flag and anthem due to anti-doping sanctions.

Putin, 68, had two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, one in March and one in April, according to the Kremlin, but Moscow has continued to take precautions against the pandemic in terms of its health.

Prior to getting vaccinated, Putin spent much of the pandemic running the country from his residence instead of the Kremlin, chairing video conferencing meetings rather than face-to-face meetings. People who know him in person have reported that they have been forced to quarantine.

“All Olympic champions and medalists have a meeting with the president when they return home,” gymnast Angelina Melnikova, who won gold in the women’s team event and bronze in the Instagram, wrote in her Instagram stories. general practice and on the floor.

“The meeting is scheduled for September 10 and because of the COVID, which we are fed up with, we have to be in quarantine for seven days.”

Melnikova said the athletes will undergo three COVID tests at the hotel where they will be isolated.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Reports by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Edited by Barbara Lewis

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