Olympics: Leader's call stops Russian walkout

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his country's winter Olympics team to stay in the competition, over-riding walkout threats from team officials.

The Russians say they have been victimised at Salt Lake City, and gave Games officials 24 hours to resolve their complaints.

Otherwise the team would pull out of the Games, said Leonid Tygachev, president of the Russian Olympic Committee.

Decisions affecting the Russians have created outrage in the team and at home, where the United States has been accused of trying to continue the Cold War.

Mr Tygachev's main complaints involved:

* The figure skating furore in which Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold, but a duplicate gold was awarded to Canadians David Pelletier and Jamie Sale because of judging irregularities.

* The ice hockey quarter-final in which Russia had to play the Czech Republic one man short for four minutes. Russia won the game 1-0, but Mr Tygachev's deputy, Vitali Smirnov, said the decision that put the Russian player out was made "with malicious intent".

* A women's cross-country relay in which Russia had to withdrew its medal-prospect team after two athletes were ousted because of blood test "abnormalities".

"If Russia is not needed in the big sports, we are ready to leave the Olympic village," Mr Tygachev said.

If Russia pulled out of Salt Lake City, it would be unlikely to go to the Athens summer Games in 2004.

But last night Mr Putin stepped in to defuse the crisis, making a hasty telephone call to Mr Tygachev.

"Putin told him that the rule breaches against our athletes were not strong enough to justify leaving the Games," a Moscow official said.

Mr Tygachev said other countries were ready to join a Russian walkout.

China, Ukraine - which also withdrew its team from yesterday's relay after one athlete failed the blood tests - and South Korea had also been "humiliated", he said.

South Korea's Kim Dong-sung was disqualified in the 1500m short track speedskating final for impeding American Apolo Anton Ohno, who was awarded the gold.

The Koreans said yesterday that they would file a lawsuit in a US court against the referees of the final and boycott the closing ceremony.

- AGENCIES