Russia’s Olympic athletes received a mixed reception from the Maracana crowd during Rio 2016’s opening ceremony.
This build-up to this summer’s games have been plagued by the Russian doping scandal, and the atmosphere inside the stadium was somewhat muted on the team's arrival.
The IOC’s decision not to hand a blanket ban to Russia following their ‘state-sponsored doping’ program has been met with widespread criticism in the lead up to the games, and the crowd's previously constant cheers softened as flag-bearer and volleyball star Sergey Tetyukhin entered the arena.
Russia will have 271 athletes eligible to compete in this summer’s games.
Speaking earlier this week, Russia's Olympic Committee president Alexander Zhukov claimed that the Russian team was probably the ‘cleanest team in Rio’.
"The Russian team may have experienced the toughest checks of the Olympics, because they had to go through multiple tests and checked," said Zhukov.
In Pictures: Rio 2016 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
"On top of all that, Russian athletes are going through additional testing which is taking place at the Olympic Village.
"So, as of now, the Russian team is probably the cleanest in Rio."
