Sports Scene returns in Russia where the country's athletes are hoping to compete at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, despite being banned by the International Olympic Committee for widespread doping. Russia's own Olympic committee is petitioning the IOC to allow its athletes to compete in South Korea as neutrals or in other words to compete without representing the Russian Federation. Our correspondent Daria Bondarchuk has more from Moscow on how Russia is trying to secure access for its clean athletes.

The Russian Olympic Committee pledges to support more than 200 of its athletes preparing to appeal the International Olympic Committee's decision.

The IOC banned Russia from the 2018 Winter Games over "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system - despite Moscow's persistent denials that state-sponsored doping ever existed in the country.

The IOC did leave a possibility open for clean athletes to compete not for their country—but as neutral. The international body will decide on each athlet's case individually.

Russian sportsmen are embracing the idea:

ILYA KOVALCHUK RUSSIAN HOCKEY PLAYER "Patriotism and love for your country is in your heart, so no one can take it away from us. So we must go there and fight with double energy."

The head of the suspended Russian Olympic Committee promised full government backing for the athletes.

ALEXANDER ZHUKOV RUSSIAN OLYMPIC COMMITTEE CHIEF "The Russian Olympic Committee will take all necessary measures to ensure athletes' participation in these Games, will assist in resolving all managerial, technical, financial and other issues."

ROC's working group is set to discuss the athletes' eligibility criteria with the IOC later this week. Some sports experts say Russian athletes' chances to make it to Pyeongchang may be slim.

ALAN MOORE SPORTS ANALYST "Out of the 200-plus athletes who are eligible to compete in the Olympics we might see may be less than 100 actually start. Simply because the IOC could cut back on those numbers, and some athletes might not want to go, and additionally there will be legal cases that some will have to fight to get there, and, finally, it's up to each International federation to allow these athletes to compete."

DARIA BONDARCHUK MOSCOW "Russia's sports community is united in the decision that Russian athletes should go to Pyeongchang. However, too many questions remain open, and it's unclear how many clean Russian athletes, if any at all, will meet the IOC criteria and be able to compete at next year's Winter Olympics. Daria Bondarchuk, CGTN, Moscow."