Russia calls the IOC's demand to condemn the war in Ukraine "sorting people by origin" and "abandonment of the fatherland"

The International Olympic Committee's (IOC) demand that Russian athletes condemn the war in Ukraine and compete under a neutral flag is an attempt to force athletes to "renounce their homeland". It also encourages hostility between nations and destroys the very idea of sport.

This was the pathetic statement made by Stanislav Pozdnyakov, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), in an interview with the propaganda news agency TASS. He also called the criteria for admitting representatives of the aggressor country to tournaments far-fetched and unreasonable.

"Today, in sports, they are trying to build blank walls, dividing athletes into fit and unfit according to far-fetched criteria. With a claim to the right to sort people by their origin and passport. In international sport, everyone should have equal rights and responsibilities. The IOC's recent recommendations mean forcing our athletes to renounce their homeland, their national teammates, and their involvement in everything related to their homeland," Pozdnyakov said.

Earlier, in the best traditions of Kremlin propaganda, he accused Western countries of politicising sport and declared Russia's mission to "make people's lives better".

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, Russian boxing champion Vladimir Nosov was afraid that Russians would be forced to "get down on their knees and kiss something" to participate in the Olympics. The day before, Russia was banned from the 2023 European Games in Poland. In response, the State Duma called the selection for the 2024 Olympics a "scam" that "should have been disbanded long ago."

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