Russia says any attempts to oust it from global sport over Ukraine will fail

27.01.2023 - 16:11 channelnewsasia.com

Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday that any attempt to squeeze Moscow out of international sport because of what it calls its special military operation in Ukraine was "doomed to fail."Since Russia sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February last year, some sports bodies have suspended Russian teams or athletes to protest against Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Kyiv said earlier on Friday that Ukraine did not rule out boycotting the Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to compete in the Paris 2024 Games.

Sporting athletics Russia Ukraine Moscow Belarus

Insisting sports had to respect the human rights of all athletes, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach on Sunday denied the organization was on the wrong side of history by helping Russians and Belarusians qualify for the 2024 Paris Summer Games.

Moscow Says Calls To Ban Russians From Olympics 'Unacceptable': Agencies

The Russian sports minister said Saturday that Ukraine's call to ban Russian athletes from the 2024 Paris Olympics, which gathered support from several countries, was "unacceptable". "The attempt to dictate the conditions of athletes' participation in international competitions is absolutely unacceptable," sports minister Oleg Matytsin was cited as saying by Russian state-run news agencies. "We see a blatant desire to destroy the unity of international sport and the international Olympic movement."

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International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said his organisation is not on the wrong side of history after opening the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in next year's Summer Games in Paris.

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MOSCOW: Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Saturday (Feb 11) that calls from ministers of more than 30 countries to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics were unacceptable, TASS news agency reported.

Zelenskyy says Russian athletes at Olympics a 'manifestation of violence'

LONDON: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has called for a boycott of the 2024 Paris Olympics if Russian athletes are allowed to take part, said Friday (Feb 10) their presence would be a "manifestation of violence".

Russian, Belarusian dissidents could compete in Olympics as refugees, says Polish sports minister

WARSAW : Creating a team of refugees which would allow some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete could be the basis of a compromise on the question of banning these countries from the games, the Polish sports minister said on Friday.