As you may have heard, the upcoming 2018 Olympics already have had some major drama is going down in a certain country. It’s breaking international news: Russia has, so far, been suspended from the 2018 Winter Olympics.

What are the Olympic Games exactly? They’re worldwide games that occur in a different country every four years. The Summer and Winter Games alternate every four years, but are two years apart. The rings on the Olympic flag represent the continents of the world, united by the Games.

So what does it mean if one country is excluded from the Games? Well, it definitely sends a mixed message. What happened to Russia anyways?

It was discovered the Russian government had been plotting with the athletes and coaches at the 2014 Olympic Games. They had set up a ‘doping’ system, which enhanced their athletes’ performances, thus giving them an unfair advantage in the Games. An investigation was launched, and Russia has, so far, been suspended from participating in the 2018 Olympic Games, along with losing several medals from the 2014 Olympic Games.

However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC), declared that any Russian athlete that wished to compete in the Games had to prove they were ‘clean’ of of drugs and such. If they were shown to be clean, they could participate under a neutral flag and the name “Olympic Athlete from Russia” (OAR). Unfortunately, the Russian athletes would not be allowed to play their national anthem or fly their flag.

Despite that knowledge, it has not deterred any athlete from competing, even going as far to explain that they were fully prepared to compete in the Games under a neutral flag.

Ice hockey player Ilya Kovalchuk declared, “We are Russian athletes, so it’s quite clear: they can take away the flag and the anthem, but they cannot take away the honor and the conscience. 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.”