Russia condemned on Friday a “neutralization” campaign against its best athletes, whose participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics under a neutral banner was jeopardized by “humiliating” International Olympic Committee (IOC) criteria, it said.
• Also read: 2024 Olympics: The IOC allows Russians and Belarusians to participate under a neutral banner
Last week, the International Olympic Committee allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11) under several conditions: under a neutral barrier, excluding team competitions if they did not actively support the Russians Offensive in Ukraine and whether they have cleared the qualification hurdle.
So far in this case there are only eleven, eight Russians and three Belarusians, against around sixty Ukrainians, the IOC announced in its statement.
“With its invented criteria and parameters, which not only violate the Olympic Charter, but also completely devalue its principles, the IOC has launched a targeted campaign to neutralize our athletes,” reacted on Friday the President of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdniakov, during his annual press conference.
AFP
“These artificial and politically motivated conditions eliminate the overwhelming majority of elite athletes and place those who remain in a situation of inequality by simply precluding honest competition,” he said.
Therefore, the number of 11 eligible athletes “sponsored by the IOC is humiliating,” Mr. Pozdniakov added, emphasizing that “thousands of athletes” have been “physically deprived of their dream.”
Without further details, he also called on Russian athletes eligible under the IOC criteria to “carefully consider all the nuances of the proposed conditions” so as not to become “hostages to the interests of others.”
During his annual press conference on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin also criticized the IOC's decision, saying the body risked “burying the Olympic movement.”
He added that he wanted to “carefully analyze the conditions” before making a final decision on whether Russian athletes would participate or boycott Paris 2024.