The Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation commented on the published information that the IOC has proposed the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international tournaments in a neutral status if they fulfill a number of requirements. The main one is not to support the conduct of a special military operation in Ukraine, to follow the Olympic Charter and comply with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Agency.
Matytsin noted that the IOC, raising the issue of the admission of athletes, is trying to be flexible, but the proposed conditions are unacceptable.
“We consider it unacceptable to determine special conditions for athletes to participate in accordance with the Olympic Charter, the principles of equality and justice. No policy can and should interfere in sports, there is no place for speculation about the NWO. For our athletes, it is an honor and pride to compete for the Motherland. So was at all times,” RIA Novosti quotes him as saying.
Earlier, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, head of the Russian Olympic Committee, expressed his disagreement with the IOC proposal.
In February 2022, the IOC recommended that all international federations remove athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus from all tournaments. These recommendations are currently in effect.