“Sending numbers 5 to 7 to the Games is contrary to the sporting principle” – President of the Diving Federation Druzhinin

President of the Russian Diving Federation Stanislav Druzhinin commenting on the IOC statement on the admission of Russian athletes to the Paris Games, told that the leaders of the national team are in favor of law enforcement sports companies, therefore with the current restrictions nothing fundamentally changes.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on Friday that it will allow Russian athletes who have successfully completed qualifying events to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics under the status of individual neutrality and subject to strict restrictions.

“This decision, announced by the IOC, essentially changes nothing. The criteria remain the same, as do the conditions for admission to international competitions.

— But do divers still have purely theoretical chances of selection?

— But the criteria are the same as those of the IOC. In addition, reinforced by the international federation, the restrictions are even more numerous. These criteria violate the sporting principle, I have already spoken about it. The leaders of our national teams defend sports companies from law enforcement agencies or the Ministry of Defense, and sending the numbers from the fifth to the seventh is contrary to the sporting principle,” Druzhinin told .

At the end of March 2023, the IOC announced recommendations for the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions. These include individual admission, neutral status, banning participation in team sports, and banning participation of athletes associated with security forces or who have expressed support for the SVO. The same requirements now apply to the Olympic Games.

Previously, the IOC Executive Committee suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). In Paris, Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete in neutral individual status (AIN), without flags, anthems and other national symbols.

The Paris Olympic Games will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.