IOC ‘destroying Olympic ideals’ – Kremlin — RT World News

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the restrictions on Russian athletes, announced by the International Olympic Committee earlier this week, were discriminatory.

The International Olympic Committee announced on Tuesday that the maximum number of Russians who can qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games is 55, while the number of Belarusians is limited to 28 athletes. Participants from both countries can only appear at individual events, in neutral status, and may not participate in the opening ceremony.

In response, Peskov on Wednesday said the move “It destroys the Olympic ideals and discriminates against the interests of Olympians.” The limitations are “It goes completely against the ideology of the entire Olympic movement.” he argued.

But Peskov commented more positively on the announcement that Russian athletes who were cleared to participate in the Paris Games would not have to make statements critical of Moscow's military operation against Ukraine.

In addition to the restrictions, the International Olympic Committee said it had formed a committee to approve the participation of both Russia and Belarus under neutral status. The committee also released a list of 19 “neutral” contestants from the two countries who have been allowed to participate so far.

After the conflict began in Ukraine in February 2022, the International Olympic Committee recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus not be allowed to compete in international events.

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