Putin stays tight-lipped on Russian athletes’ participation within the 2024 Olympics underneath the circumstances imposed by the IOC.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) of attempting to bury the Olympic motion by imposing guidelines on Russian athletes for the 2024 Summer season Olympics in Paris.
Final week, the IOC stated Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify of their sport for the Paris Video games can participate as neutrals with out flags, emblems or anthems.
Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine final yr, for which Belarus has been used as a staging floor.
“In the event that they proceed to behave this manner, they’ll bury the Olympic motion,” Putin stated on Thursday.
Whereas he promised to assist Russians competing in Paris, he stated his nation ought to ponder whether or not it ought to compete if the occasion is designed to painting Russian sport as “dying” and never give a transparent reply if Russian athletes ought to go to Paris.
“To go or to not go? … The circumstances have to be intently analysed,” Putin stated.
“If they’re politically motivated, synthetic circumstances geared toward reducing off our [political] leaders … and to weaken our crew, then the Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee ought to make an knowledgeable resolution,” he added.
Talking at his annual year-end information convention, Putin stated an extra evaluation was wanted of what the impartial standing would imply for the nation’s athletes.
“They’ve been coaching for years … and that’s why I supported our athletes going to such competitions, however we nonetheless have to fastidiously analyse the circumstances the IOC has put ahead,” Putin stated.
“If the IOC’s synthetic circumstances are designed to chop off the most effective Russian athletes and painting on the Olympics that Russian sport is dying, then it’s worthwhile to resolve whether or not to go there in any respect,” Putin stated.
IOC transfer in ‘full contradiction’ of Olympic spirit
The IOC stated impartial athletes will compete solely in particular person sports activities and no groups for the 2 nations will likely be allowed. Athletes who actively assist the struggle in Ukraine should not eligible, nor are these contracted to the Russian or Belarusian navy.
Putin accused sports activities officers of appearing “underneath the stress of Western elites”.
Russia has vigorously protested towards the restrictions on its athletes, arguing that they go towards the spirit of the video games.
“Every thing that worldwide officers do in relation to Russian sports activities is a whole contradiction and distortion of the concepts of Pierre de Coubertin,” Putin stated, referring to the founding father of the Olympic motion.
Russian athletes have taken half in successive Olympics with out their flag or anthem within the wake of main doping scandals.
Through the Chilly Conflict, the US boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union and its allies retaliated with a boycott of the 1984 Video games in Los Angeles.