Olympics: These superstars are missing in Pyeongchang

Russians in the doping swamp: 43 Russian athletes from the sports of bobsleigh, skeleton, luge, cross-country skiing, speed skating, biathlon and ice hockey were banned for life from the Olympics by the IOC disciplinary commission in the wake of the scandal of systematic doping by Russia during the 2014 Winter Games in their own country. Of the 500 Olympic candidates subsequently proposed by Russia, only 169 were accepted. Among those not accepted were six-time Olympic champion Viktor Ahn (short track), biathlon star Anton Schipulin and cross-country skiing double world champion Sergei Ustyugov.

The NHL stars (ice hockey): For the first time since Lillehammer 1994, the National Hockey League (NHL), the strongest league in the world, has canceled its participation in the Olympic ice hockey tournament. While some of the players loudly called for a break from the Olympics, the club owners and ultimately the league rejected this. The Russian Alexander Owetschkin, who heavily criticized the decision, or the Canadians Sidney Crosby and young star Connor McDavid are therefore missing from Pyeongchang. The NHL participated in five Olympic Games from 1998 to 2014.

Ole Einar Björndalen (NOR/Biathlon): The most successful athlete at the Winter Olympics (8 x gold, 4 x silver, 1 x bronze) had to pay tribute to his age this season and missed qualification. The 44-year-old biathlon superstar didn't get higher than 18th place in the current World Cup season - not enough to make it into the strong Norwegian team.

Petter Northug (NOR/cross-country skiing): The two-time Olympic champion from Vancouver 2010 and 13-time world champion has been lagging behind his form for two years. This winter, the most successful male participant in the Nordic World Ski Championships only competed once in the World Cup and was eliminated from qualifying in the Lillehammer sprint.

Therese Johaug (NOR/cross-country skiing): The Norwegian glamor girl has been banned for doping for one and a half years since October 2016. The Olympic relay champion in Vancouver, two-time medalist in 2014 and seven-time world champion, was given a lip cream by the team doctor during a training camp in September 2016, the ingredient of which, Klostebol, is on the doping list. The cream resulted in a positive sample. Last August, the International Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) extended the ban imposed by the Norwegian Olympic Committee from 13 to 18 months, thereby preventing participation in the Olympics.

Felix Neureuther (GER/Alpine Skiing): The 33-year-old from Garmisch-Partenkirchen, one of the most promising German medal candidates in the alpine men's category, tore the cruciate ligament in his left knee in a training fall in November. This means that the women in the Neureuther family remain the only ones with Olympic medals. Mother Rosi Mittermaier won gold in downhill and slalom as well as silver in giant slalom in Innsbruck in 1976, while wife Miriam (née Gössner) won silver with the German cross-country skiing relay in 2010. Father Christian Neureuther has two 5th place finishes at the Olympics (1976, 1980), Felix Neureuther was eighth at the Olympics in the giant slalom in 2010 and 2014.

Ilka Stuhec (SLO/Alpine skiing): The Slovenian downhill world champion tore a cruciate ligament in her left knee in a training fall in Pitztal in October. The 27-year-old won the Downhill World Cup last season and was second behind Mikaela Shiffrin in the overall World Cup.

Gabriela Koukalova (CZE/Biathlon): The Czech biathlon star had to end the season early due to problems with his calf muscles. The 28-year-old is a two-time world champion and won two Olympic silver medals in Sochi.

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Olympics: These superstars are missing in Pyeongchang

There haven't been as many stars missing from the Winter Olympics for decades as there were this year. An overview.

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