By LARRY SIDDONS, AP Sports Writer

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Angered by a string of decisions against its athletes, Russia threatened Thursday to pull out of the Winter Olympics (news - web sites) and might not compete in the Athens Games if its concerns are not addressed within 24 hours.

Russian Olympic Committee president Leonid Tyagachiov said he told IOC (news - web sites) president Jacques Rogge that his nation was ``greatly unappreciated'' in the Olympics and wanted its issues taken seriously.

The Russian's comments came at a news conference just hours after one of the nation's top athletes, cross-country skier Larissa Lazutina, was disqualified from the women's 20-kilometer relay because of high levels of hemoglobin found in a pre-race blood test.

``If decisions are not made and issues we raised not resolved, the Russian team will not play hockey, will not run 30 kilometers, will look very negatively on other factors,'' Tyagachiov said through a translator.

He said there was a 24-hour window to address the situation, and that if Russia left Salt Lake City it probably would not compete in Athens in the next Summer Games.

``Once you leave, it is not easy to come back in,'' he said.

The Russian men's hockey team is scheduled to play the United States in the semifinals on Friday.

IOC officials did not immediately return a phone call for comment.

Tyagachiov said that while Lazutina's hemoglobin count was just above the legal limit, she was not guilty of doping.

``We are clean,'' he said. ``We have nothing to hide.''

A urine test on Lazutina will determine whether her case will be considered a drug positive. Results were expected Friday; she was scheduled to compete in the 30-kilometer classical event Sunday.

Lazutina, who has already won two silvers at these games to increase her career medal total to nine, last raced on Feb. 15 in the 5-kilometer pursuit.

She was hoping for a record-tying 10th medal, but her disqualification knocked four-time defending champion Russia out of Thursday's relay event.

But Tyagachiov was upset by more than the Lazutina case.

He made repeated references to the figure skating judging dispute, in which Russia'a Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the pairs' competition but had to share the gold medal with Canada's Jamie Sale and David Pelletier.

``This was a new decision that was practically unprecedented,'' he said. ``We went along with the decision and tried to look at it objectively. ... But we have only so much patience.''

Tyagachiov also referred to what he said were a high number of Russian athletes picked for drug tests and an unspecified ruling by a goal judge in ice hockey.

``I think we are seeing a witch hunt,'' he said.

Vitaly Smirnov, an IOC vice president from Russia, warned against taking his country's complaints too lightly.

``Without Russia, the Olympic Games (news - web sites) will be lost,'' Smirnov said.

Tyagachiov said he would meet with top officials of the International Ice Hockey Federation, the International Skating Union (news - web sites) and the international ski federation FIS to discuss his complaints.

``We defend our honor,'' he said.

He also said that, if the same rules that led to duplicate golds in pairs skating were applied to the cross-country relay, Russia should share that gold with race winner Germany.

``I told Rogge that since the Canadian figure skaters were awarded a second gold medal, by the same logic our relay should get a gold, too, since it's been dominant for so long,'' he said. ``Or if this is not an 'objective' solution, why not stage a new relay on Saturday?''

The Ukrainian team also did not start event because Valentina Shevchenko failed a blood test. Ukrainian officials declined to comment.

Germany won the gold medal, Norway took the silver and Switzerland got the bronze.

The Russians planned to protest the race.

``This is a scandal. They are specifically hunting out Russian sportsmen,'' team leader Gennady Ramensky said.

Quoted:
I have a better idea, Drop the whole thing.

The spirt of the games has been lost for a long time, and the only reason that the Olympic's even exsits is that it is a money making machine.

Quoted:


Which is an entertaining comment in and of itself, considering EVERY Olympic Games is a huge money loser for the host city.