Russia reacts to IOC's suspension, saying something about the "defense of a sovereign country"

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) has called the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) "counterproductive". On October 12, the IOC suspended the ROC's membership. Thus, the organization responded to the illegal inclusion of Olympic councils from the occupied territories of Ukraine in the ROC.

The ROC is confident that this step has no impact on Russian athletes, the vast majority of whom are still "unjustifiably excluded" from international competitions.

"As participants in the international sports movement, the ROC reserves the right to protect its own interests, as well as the interests of the athletes and organizations of the sovereign country we represent in good faith," the Russian committee said in a statement.

Earlier, Russia filed a lawsuit against the IOC demanding payment of almost nine million dollars under one of its marketing programs.

In turn, ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov accused international federations of "sports genocide " by excluding Russian representatives from the competition. In turn, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov angrily demanded that the IOC help Russia "get away with" the war against Ukraine.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov said that the exclusion of Russians from international competitions is harmful to world sports.

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