President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov believes that the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach the latest statement obliges Russian athletes to violate the laws of Russia and the Olympic Charter.
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.
– From today’s statement by IOC President Thomas Bach, we can conclude that Russian athletes are invited to exchange their nationality and civic position for the humiliating neutrality of performances on the international stage.
Sanctions against Russian sports are still in effect. In this situation, artificially created by the recommendations of the IOC Executive Board, our athletes are, in fact, forced to violate the laws of their country and the Olympic Charter.
The Russian Olympic Committee, as before, insists that sport must, whatever the circumstances, stay out of politics and that athletes must not be used as hostages in the interest of satisfying the demands of certain geopolitical forces.
We will continue to work on this issue, firmly adhering to our position, acting in the interests of Russian sport and our athletes,” Pozdnyakov wrote on his Telegram channel.
Source : MatchTV
