Wladimir Klitschko: I have not seen any of the Russian athletes speak out against the war. But we have already seen athletes with the sign Z

Former World Heavyweight Champion Vladimir Klichko continues tocriticize the IOC for the possible admission of Russian athletes to the 2024 Olympics.

“Thomas Bach talks all the time about the “neutrality” of the IOC. The fact is that Bach is not neutral. He represents Russia’s interests, not Olympic values. He cannot stand under the white flag. Sports, business and politics have a lot in common with each other. The Olympic Games in particular have always been part of politics.”

“Unfortunately, Bach does not represent Olympic values, but an aggressor, supports propaganda. Many Russian athletes represent the clubs of the RF Ministry of Defense. They have competed in the Winter Olympics and are now planning to compete in the next Summer Games. Russian propaganda takes advantage of this. You are unleashing an aggressor, a murderer and his representatives and accomplices on the world stage.”

“I have not yet seen any of the current Russian athletes publicly oppose the war. So they support her. And we have already seen athletes with a Z sign. They support this regime, this war, this propaganda.”

Earlier, Wladimir Klitschko published an open letter to the European community, in which he urged not to believe Russian propaganda.

Recall that the IOC is ready to consider the possibility of admitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions. In this case, everyone who wishes will be required to act in a neutral status. Also, athletes should not support the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and pass a mandatory doping test.

The IOC believes that a complete ban on the performance of Russian and Belarusian athletes is discrimination and is contrary to the Olympic Charter.