If any Olympic athletes from Russia are looking to party this summer at official Olympic events, they’re going to have to do it the clean and sober way. During the 2010 winter Olympics in Vancouver, Russian state oil company OAO Rosneft threw a party that featured imitation gas pumps that dispensed hard alcohol. No such events will be taking place at the London Olympics, as Russian Olympic officials have banned alcohol from official Russian receptions involving athletes.
As the Wall Street Journal pointed out, a Russian newspaper ran the story about the alcohol ban Monday under the heading “Stone Cold Sober.”
“Olympic values are not commensurate with the consumption of alcohol,” a spokeswoman for Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak said according to the newspaper.
The story also indicated that the decision may have been a result of Russia’s disappointing performance at the Vancouver Olympics, where they ranked sixth overall in total medals with 15 and managed to take home only three golds. Considering Olympic athletes are generally some of the most well-conditioned and healthy people in the world, this shouldn’t be a huge deal. If there are any Russian athletes who planned on relying on an alcohol diet to keep them fresh in London, now is the time to turn to plan B.
Note: This post also appeared on Medal Detector
Photo credit: The Star-Ledger-US PRESSWIRE
