Olympic athletes from Russia celebrate after winning the men’s gold medal hockey game against Germany, 4-3, in overtime at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, in February 2018. (AP file photo)

The sanctions handed down by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Monday mean there won’t be a Russian flag or national anthem at a string of major sports competitions, including next year’s Tokyo Olympics. But there are enough loopholes for Russia to continue sending neutral teams to the events.

And that’s before the inevitable legal challenges, which could further water down the sanctions.

Similar restrictions have been imposed before. At the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, there was no “Russia” but there were 168 “Olympic Athletes from Russia,” two of whom later failed doping tests.

When the men’s hockey team won the gold medal in uniforms echoing the old Soviet “Red Machine,” players belted out the Russian national anthem, even without any music. Russian President Vladimir Putin called the coach on the bench to congratulate him.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, back to a camera, in Strelna, outside St. Petersburg, Russia, on Nov. 27. St. Petersburg will host four matches of the European Football Championship next summer. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin visited Russian president Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on Wednesday after the World Anti-Doping Agency confirmed that Russia will be allowed to host European Championship soccer games. (AP photo)

One of Russia’s top athletes said she is still aiming to compete at the Tokyo Olympics.

“I didn’t believe the stories that everything will be fine. What has happened today is a disgrace,” three-time world high jump champion Mariya Lasitskene wrote on Instagram. “I’ve never had any plans to change my citizenship and I don’t plan to do it now. I’m going to prove in my jumping that Russian athletes are alive, even in neutral status.”