Foreign Ministry: Most countries of the Olympic movement support Russia’s return

MOSCOW, May 2 – RIA Novosti. The theme of sports is used by anti-Russian countries as an active tool to impose double standards against Russia, but the vast majority of member countries of the International Olympic Committee support Russia’s return to world sports, the Russian Foreign Ministry told RIA Novosti.

The ministry stressed that in some structures it has become the norm for international secretariats and working bodies to serve the neo-colonial interests of a narrow group of Western states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that the Russian Federation considers it necessary to continue active cooperation with international sports federations, which take decisions on the participation of our athletes in competitions in line with the recommendations of the IOC.

At the same time, they stressed that Russia remains committed to its international obligations to combat doping.

In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions as a preventive measure, due to the situation in Ukraine. A year later, on January 25, 2023, the IOC executive committee called for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions with neutral status, while proposing that athletes who actively support special operations in Ukraine should not be allowed. In addition, on March 10, the portal Inside the Games reported that the International Fencing Federation (FIE) at an extraordinary congress decided to allow Russians to participate in international competitions, and on April 29, the International Judo Federation (IJF) allowed athletes. The Russian Federation and Belarus will compete under the auspices of the organization in neutral status.

The International Tennis Federation excluded the national teams of Russia and Belarus from team competitions, but allowed athletes from these countries to participate in individual tournaments with neutral status. The Professional Tennis Association and the Women’s Tennis Association also entered.

The Overseas National Hockey League did not impose any bans on the participation of Russians and Belarusians. Representatives of Russia and Belarus were not excluded from the international SAMBO tournaments, and the International Boxing Association organized the Women’s World Championship on March 15-26, 2023, in which athletes from Russia and Belarus competed under their own flags.