Russian President Vladimir Putin says he will not boycott the PyeongChang Olympics, after the Russian team was barred from competing for doping violations.
 
Russia's Tass news agency said that Putin made the remarks on Wednesday during his visit to an automobile factory in the city of Nizhny Novgorod, some 400 kilometers east from Moscow. 
 
In the televised remarks, Putin said that his government will allow any Russians who wish to take part in the games to compete as neutral athletes, saying that Russia will not declare any kind of blockade. 
 
The Russian Olympic Committee will hold a meeting next Tuesday to make a final decision on the matter.
 
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Wednesday banned the Russian team from the Games as punishment for doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Olympics. The IOC, however, plans to invite individual Russians to compete under the Olympic flag.