Fendt told German newspaper Bild that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should avoid a collective sanction on Russia when they announce their decision on the extent of the country's participation during their Executive Board meeting next week.

The 70-year-old German said banning the entire Russian team from the Winter Olympic Games, due to run from February 9 to 25, would be "unfair".

It is thought that no Russian lugers are under investigation by the IOC Disciplinary Commission for alleged doping.

It comes after the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) yesterday declared their support for Russia competing at the Games in the South Korean resort.

"It is unfair if clean athletes are collectively punished," Fendt, FIL President since 1994, said.

"We even did some additional targeted checks on the Russians, so there were no positive cases, so I would not find it right to completely shut out the Russian team at the Olympics."

Albert Demchenko, who won two silver medals at Sochi 2014 and is now the head coach of the Russian luge team, has thanked the FIL President for supporting Russian participation at the Games.

"We are very glad the chief of the International Federation supports us during these tough times for Russian sports," he told Russia's state news agency TASS.

Demchenko also claimed doping brings little benefit in the sport.

In a bizarre comment to TASS, the coach invited former Moscow Laboratory head turned whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov - whose revelations sparked the World Anti-Doping Agency-commissioned McLaren Report - to take his infamous "duchess" cocktail of drugs and "try his skills on the luge track after a gulp of this wonder-working drink mix".

"He [Fendt] knows better than anybody else that doping in luge in no way enhances results," Demnchenko added. 

"For an athlete to clock a better time a sober and clear mind is far more important than physical strength. 

"As far as I know, doping formulas have never helped boost anyone’s mental abilities.

"Our sport is akin to chess or Formula One racing.

"As for Rodchenkov and all others who think that the 'Duchess cocktail’ can help (them) perform better, we may offer them a chance to try their skills on the luge track after a gulp of this wonder-working drink mix. 

"It remains to be seen, though, how far they will get and if they find the doping drink effective enough. 

"My expectations on that score are not very bright."

The case appears to be growing for the IOC to exclude the Russian team from February's Games as the Disciplinary Commission chaired by Denis Oswald continues to sanction athletes accused of doping at Sochi 2014.

A reasoned decision on cross-country skier Alexander Legkov, stripped of his Olympic gold and silver medals from Sochi 2014 and banned from the Olympics for life, is also thought to be crucial.

It showed the IOC supported the evidence in the McLaren Report, dismissed criticism over the report's findings and backed Rodchenkov, who is in witness protection after fleeing Russia for the United States, as a "reliable witness".

IOC President Thomas Bach has also seemingly hardened his stance against Russia in recent weeks, adding merit to the suggestions that Russia will be banned from Pyeongchang 2018.

The FIL have become the second winter federation to publicly back Russia being allowed to participate at next year's Olympics.

The IIHF were the first to speak out in favour of the under-fire nation competing at the event when they announced their support for the country's participation in a strongly-worded statement yesterday.

Ice hockey's worldwide governing body also criticised the IOC for "putting the health of ice hockey at risk" by considering excluding all Russian athletes from the Games.