Russian Olympic Committee Says its Chief Will Be Resigning

Russia's Olympic Committee on Wednesday said its president had resigned after the former Olympic powerhouse posted its worst-ever showing at a Winter Games, reports Reuters news agency.

Russia came 11th in the medals table with just three golds compared to 14 for hosts Canada. The result was especially embarrassing because Russia is due to host the next Winter Olympics, in 2014 at the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

The Olympic Committee's chief spokeperson said Leonid Tyagachyov had resigned as president.

"He heeded his conscience and wrote his resignation," Gennady Shvets said on NTV television.

Tyagachyov's personal spokesperson said Shvets' statement was premature. "There has been no official statement from Tyagachyov," Darya Chervonenko said.

Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed committee member as saying the resignation would be officially accepted on Thursday.

President Dmitry Medvedev on Monday ordered Russian Olympic officials to quit or be fired, but sports minister Vitaly Mutko has not yet resigned.

"We do not deny our responsibility," state-run news agency RIA quoted Mutko as saying on Wednesday. "We will take organizational, staffing and financial measures to make sure this never happens again."