Putin stays tight-lipped on Russian athletes’ participation within the 2024 Olympics beneath the situations imposed by the IOC.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) of making an attempt to bury the Olympic motion by imposing guidelines on Russian athletes for the 2024 Summer time Olympics in Paris.
Last week, the IOC said Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify of their sport for the Paris Video games can participate as neutrals with out flags, emblems or anthems.
Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine final 12 months, for which Belarus has been used as a staging floor.
“In the event that they proceed to behave this fashion, they’ll bury the Olympic motion,” Putin mentioned on Thursday.
Whereas he promised to assist Russians competing in Paris, he mentioned his nation ought to ponder whether or not it ought to compete if the occasion is designed to painting Russian sport as “dying” and never give a transparent reply if Russian athletes ought to go to Paris.
“To go or to not go? … The situations should be intently analysed,” Putin mentioned.
“If they’re politically motivated, synthetic situations geared toward chopping off our [political] leaders … and to weaken our crew, then the Ministry of Sport and the Russian Olympic Committee ought to make an knowledgeable choice,” he added.
Talking at his annual year-end information convention, Putin mentioned an extra evaluation was wanted of what the impartial standing would imply for the nation’s athletes.
“They’ve been coaching for years … and that’s why I supported our athletes going to such competitions, however we nonetheless have to fastidiously analyse the situations the IOC has put ahead,” Putin mentioned.
“If the IOC’s synthetic situations are designed to chop off the perfect Russian athletes and painting on the Olympics that Russian sport is dying, then it’s good to resolve whether or not to go there in any respect,” Putin mentioned.
IOC transfer in ‘full contradiction’ of Olympic spirit
The IOC mentioned impartial athletes will compete solely in particular person sports activities and no groups for the 2 international locations shall be allowed. Athletes who actively assist the warfare in Ukraine usually are not eligible, nor are these contracted to the Russian or Belarusian navy.
Putin accused sports activities officers of performing “beneath the stress of Western elites”.
Russia has vigorously protested towards the restrictions on its athletes, arguing that they go towards the spirit of the video games.
“Every little thing that worldwide officers do in relation to Russian sports activities is a whole contradiction and distortion of the concepts of Pierre de Coubertin,” Putin mentioned, referring to the founding father of the Olympic motion.
Russian athletes have taken half in successive Olympics with out their flag or anthem within the wake of main doping scandals.
Through the Chilly Warfare, the USA boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics over the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union and its allies retaliated with a boycott of the 1984 Video games in Los Angeles.