Russia withdrew a threat to leave the Salt Lake City Olympics Friday after the biggest political Olympic crisis since the Cold War was resolved in the seclusion of a suburban luxury mansion.
Russian sports leaders, fuming over judging decisions they believed had gone against them at the Salt Lake City Games, called off the threat after talks with International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.
The national team will stay, Russia s IOC vice-president Vitaly Smirnov told Reuters. It will take part until the very end. Russia will take part in all events, in all competitions and will take part in the closing ceremony.
In the biggest political crisis to hit the Olympics since the boycotts of the 1976, 1980 and 1984 Games, the Russians had threatened Thursday to quit the Games prematurely because of what they perceived was bad and biased judging.
After several emotional outbursts Thursday, the Russians found harmony with Rogge after a meeting in a house in Salt Lake s exclusive suburb of Cottonwood which the Russians have been using for hospitality during the Games.
Rogge had always planned to visit the &quot Russia House on Friday but used the occasion to hold talks. The former surgeon, keen to calm Russian emotions, kept the affair low-key and did not bring any aides or other senior IOC leaders with him.
After emerging through a door to the kitchen and stepping on to a lush carpet in the living room, Rogge said: I am very pleased with the discussions we had.
The Russians have filed a number of protests since the IOC and the International Skating Union took the unprecedented step of awarding a second gold medal in the figure skating pairs competition to Canadian duo Jamie Sale and David Pelletier, who had finished second.
The decision followed a public outcry and a four-day North American media campaign to overturn the original result in which Russian pair Yelena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze won the gold on a 5-4 split vote.
After their hotly-favored women s cross-country team was forced to withdraw from Thursday s relay following some abnormalities in blood tests, the Russians patience snapped.
The Russians suffered another reverse Friday when an appeal against Irina Slutskaya s second place in the women s figure skating was rejected.
But, looking relaxed as he stood in the kitchen, Smirnov said Rogge had told him all the Russian complaints would be examined, probably at a meeting of the IOC s executive board on Saturday.
Our side -- the Olympic Committee and sports organizations -- expressed very, big concerns about some judging, he said.
He (Rogge) promised (that) all kinds of remarks which our team have collected will be delivered to him and all remarks will be considered by the IOC.
leaders have been stressing that a withdrawal would be very damaging to Russia since it would punish their athletes. It would also have affected Moscow s plans to bid for the 2012 Summer Games, the venue of which the IOC will decide in 2005.

We are very happy with everything. Of course, Russia leaders do realize what kind of consequences there could be if they are not taking part.
Earlier Friday Russian President Vladimir Putin took an unusual swipe at 59-year-old Rogge who was elected into office last July in Moscow, replacing Juan Antonio Samaranch who had been at the top of the IOC for 21 years.
Not the last reason is the change of generations in the International Olympic Committee, Putin said.
Juan Antonio Samaranch has gone and Jacques Rogge has taken his place. Regrettably for the new leadership, the first time is bound to be a flop.
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