Russia denounced Friday the “discriminatory circumstances” imposed by the Worldwide Olympic Committee for Russian athletes to participate within the Paris 2024 Video games, requiring them to compete as neutrals and never actively assist the Ukraine offensive.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier on Friday allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part as neutrals.
“The circumstances are discriminatory, they’re going towards the ideas of sport,” stated Russian sports activities minister Oleg Matytsin.
“They’re damaging the Olympic Video games themselves, and never Russian sport. The method is unacceptable.”
He nonetheless stated that these athletes who can fulfil the circumstances will go to Paris.
“After all, these sportsmen who achieved success at competitions and the best to participate will, in all probability, participate,” he stated.
“We all the time assist our personal, they’re a part of our sports activities household… regardless of how a lot they attempt to cut up Russian society and pit athletes towards one another,” he added.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have confronted sanctions for a large number of sports activities since Moscow launched its assault on Ukraine in February 2022.