"Tomorrow [February 9th], the opening ceremony will take place with the participation of about 80 people from our delegation," he told the press, indicating that "the vast majority are athletes who are already" in Pyeongchang.
The last attempt by Russian athletes to go to Pyeongchang.
Pozdniakov pointed out that the athletes who "will have competitions the next day or those who have already started competing" will not take part in the ceremony, and announced that 93 out of 168 Russian athletes have arrived in the South Korean city for February 8th.
He also thanked the organizing committee of the Winter Olympics for "the comfortable accommodation and training conditions."
"Here are experienced athletes who have something to compare and admit that the Games are organized at a very high level," he emphasized.
The 168 Russian athletes will compete under a neutral flag, according to the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from last December.
More here: War for Russian athletes in the West
"The elimination of Russia as a possible winner of the Olympic Games benefits everyone."
This measure was taken as a result of an anti-doping investigation against Russia that, however, found no evidence that the use of banned substances was sponsored by the state.
Russian authorities rejected these accusations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin described the suspension of the national team from the Olympic Games as "orchestrated and politically motivated," although he acknowledged that real cases of doping were detected in Russia.
The XXIII Winter Olympics will be held in the South Korean city of Pyeongchang from February 9th to 25th, 2018.