Russia ban must be analysed before taking action, Kremlin says

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will have to carefully analyse the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) decision to ban the country from the 2018 Pyeongchang Games before taking any measures, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call that Russia's priority was now to protect the interests of Russian athletes and that the country needed to maintain ties with the IOC.

The IOC banned Russia on Tuesday from the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games after evidence emerged of an "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system.

The door was left open, however, for Russians to compete as an "Olympic Athlete of Russia" as long as they satisfy strict conditions that show they have a doping-free background.

(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)