Deputy Prime Minister of Russia Dmitri Chernychenko in response to a statement by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach noted that Russian athletes have suffered prejudice from international organizations for several years, but they are patriots of their country.
Earlier on Friday, Bach, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, said that Russian athletes who do not support the special operation in Ukraine should be able to participate in international competitions in a neutral status. In late February, the IOC recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, and most federations followed those recommendations.
– Russian athletes are patriots and do not sell their homeland. For several years, our athletes have suffered prejudice from international sports organizations, including the IOC. The climax was their withdrawal from competition. What did our opponents get? They have deprived world sport of objectivity, healthy competition and entertainment.
Russia, in turn, is creating new competition formats with the participation of our athletes and athletes from friendly countries – CIS, SCO, BRICS. Competitive activity will quickly be restored, and everyone who decides to join us – the doors are open, – the press service of the Deputy Prime Minister quoted Chernychenko.
Source : MatchTV
