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Head of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov harshly criticized the actions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) regarding the admission of Russian athletes, calling what was happening a farce and predicting the collapse of world sports.
On December 8, the IOC announced the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Games in Paris in an individual neutral status, subject to a number of criteria. According to the decision of the executive committee, neutral athletes and their personnel must refrain from any activity related to the national flag, anthem, emblem or any other symbol of the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, national federations or Olympic committees, as well as from supporting the CBO at any official event or in Media before, during and after the Olympic Games.
In the interests of athletes and the country
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russian athletes should be given a chance to compete at the Olympics, despite their neutral status. At the same time, the head of state noted that if the rights of athletes from the sports societies CSKA and Dynamo are infringed, then the Ministry of Sports and the ROC must make a “balanced decision.”
Olympic meeting of the ROC, at which the minister spoke sports Oleg Matytsin. Responding to the president’s words, Matytsin promised that the Ministry of Sports and the ROC will act in the interests of the athletes and the country.
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“Concerning participation in the Olympic Games, yesterday the president clearly formulated his position – the ROC and I will study the regulations that the IOC will formulate and make a decision in the interests of the athletes and, of course, our great country, which is the guarantor of the development of international sports,” Matytsin said.
The head of the ROC, in turn, emphasized that the removal of Russian athletes and interference in sports by creating discriminatory criteria are dirty tricks on the part of the West.
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“Despite global trends, we continue our work for the development of athletes, teams, and our sport. We are already thinking about the future, preparing a reserve. You can see for yourself what actions are being taken in relation to our sport by our enemies and international organizations that have joined them. Reason. all of this is the geopolitical claims of the West. Removing athletes, interfering in sports by creating discriminatory criteria – all these are dirty tricks. And the slogans of removing athletes from Russia and Belarus were also joined by those who would like to get rid of competitors. The game is tough, and the rules in it no,” Pozdnyakov said in the report.
“The IOC is neutralizing Russian sports”
Pozdnyakov also emphasized that the IOC, in fact, launched a campaign to neutralize Russian athletes with fictitious criteria and parameters.
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“I am sure that illegal restrictions will be lifted over time, Russian athletes will return under their flag. There is no trust in the words from Lausanne, as well as no guarantee that the “chameleon” will not change its color again. Let me remind you that at the 2022 Olympic summit the intention was announced return Russian athletes to international competitions, but in practice, in March we received recommendations from the IOC. With fictitious criteria and parameters that not only violate, but devalue the Olympic Charter, the IOC launched a campaign to neutralize our athletes. They have no guarantees of fair judging, medical support, personal safety and basic comfort,” Pozdnyakov noted.
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According to the head of the ROC, athletes, by choosing a neutral status, become hostages of other people's interests – they will find themselves face to face with a set of problems that have nothing to do with sports.
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“We live in a free state, where everyone has the right to make their own choice, the president stated this. But by choosing neutralization, the athlete becomes a hostage of other people’s interests. We are ready to help every athlete figure it out. This is due to the signing of declarations of a political nature, which cannot be avoided, and with the abandonment of the national flag. Also, neutral athletes cannot count on the participation of international federations and ROCs in their preparation, and the IOC clearly ruled this out back in March,” the functionary noted.
“The IOC cuts off the leaders of the national team”
Analyzing the criteria put forward by the IOC, Pozdnyakov emphasized that the only way out of this situation can only be the restoration of equal opportunities for athletes.
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“The authors and performers of this unique farce are so carried away that they repeatedly neglect the charter, forget about the declaration of the rights of athletes, stubbornly shout about one hot spot, forgetting about others. The system invented by the IOC cuts off the leaders of our team, and puts the rest in an unequal position. The only one The solution is to restore equal opportunities for all athletes,” Pozdnyakov said.
On December 8, the IOC announced that eight athletes with Russian passports had qualified for the Games. Almost a week later, the information was corrected – there were six athletes. Commenting on this information, the president of the ROC called it mocking, noting that world sports was collapsing.
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“A week ago in Lausanne they announced the decision to allow Russian athletes to the Olympics and then mockingly named the numbers. We have no desire to comment on it, everything is clear without words. Six Russian athletes passed the selection, while thousands of athletes were suspended, deprived of the right to represent their homeland, to realize their dreams. And those few who managed to slip through are deprived of national identification. This is definitely not Olympism, but the collapse of world sports. Those responsible will be held accountable before the court of history,” Pozdnyakov said at the Olympic meeting.
About CAS and Friendship Games
In the fall, the IOC suspended the ROC due to the inclusion of the DPR, LPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye regions in the Olympic councils. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) announced on November 6 that it had registered the ROC's appeal against the IOC's suspension.
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“The objectivity of CAS is critically low, and how can we even talk about it if CAS is headed by the Vice-President of the IOC? But the point of our claim is that we are working for the future. When political the foam will subside, we must have all the legal actions taken by the regulations,” Pozdnyakov said.
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“We assessed the actions of our colleagues from Lausanne, who, with their contradictory position, continue to split our Olympic family, creating threats to its integrity, with which we categorically disagree. We urge them to announce the abandonment of their recommendations and restore the ROC as a full-fledged participant in world sports, to return to “the path to the ideas of Baron de Coubertin, trying to make the world a better place through sports. So far, our colleagues have not succeeded in this, Western corporations are putting too much pressure on them, but we are confident that everyone will return to this path,” added the head of the ROC.
The topic of the Friendship Games, which are to be held in Russia in 2024, was also discussed separately. As Pozdnyakov noted, in his opinion, Russian athletes who will take part in the Olympic Games will definitely not be able to participate in the Friendship Games, otherwise their results at the Olympics may be cancelled.
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“The recommendations of late March 2023, which were largely followed by international federations, stated that a neutralized athlete should not be associated with the flag, anthem, national federation and his NOC until, during and after international competitions.Thus, any athlete who takes part in national-level competitions held by a national federation or where the competition is co-organized by a national Olympic committee automatically violates this rule and may be deprived of awards that have been justly won. At any moment, this situation can be used against the athlete,” Pozdnyakov told reporters.
“From my point of view, a (neutral) athlete who will take part in the Olympic Games absolutely cannot participate in the Friendship Games. Otherwise, his result at the Olympics may be annulled,” – added the head of the ROC.
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