Russian President Vladimir Putin and Olympic figure skating champion Alina Zagitova pose for pictures at an award ceremony in the Kremlin in Moscow on Feb. 28, 2018. (Kremlin Photo)
MOSCOW, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- Russian medalists of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games received national awards on Wednesday.
At a ceremony held in the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented the Order of Friendship and the Medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" to a total of 46 Russian athletes for their outstanding performances on ice and snow.
"You have honorably withstood both sports and extra-sports pressure, emotional tests, and showed your best qualities both as athletes and as individuals and your fighting spirit," Putin said, according to a Kremlin transcript of the ceremony.
The International Olympic Committee banned the Russian team in PyeongChang due to the doping scandal but allowed Russian athletes who tested negative to compete in uniforms bearing the title "Olympic Athlete from Russia."
Russia won two golds, six silvers and nine bronzes in the PyeongChang Olympics.
