Although athletes are allowed again: Russian President Putin criticizes the IOC

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Russian athletes will be allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris next summer. But Russian President Vladimir Putin (71) is anything but satisfied.

Putin has sharply criticized the conditions for the takeover of Russian athletes. In principle he was in favor of their participation, even without a flag or the playing of the national anthem, the Kremlin boss said at his traditional annual news conference in Moscow. However, if the restrictions imposed by the IOC are aimed at wiping out the best Russian athletes, participation should be reconsidered.

Last week, the IOC allowed individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris under certain conditions. As with the return to other international competitions, the condition is that Russians and Belarusians may only participate under a neutral flag. Teams are not allowed. Furthermore, these athletes must not have any ties to the military and security bodies and must not have actively expressed support for the war in Ukraine.

Putin: “The Olympic idea is suffering”

Putin has now sharply criticized these restrictions. This would exclude athletes registered with leading clubs such as CSKA or Dynamo. CSKA stands for Central Army Sports Club. Dynamo has traditionally been considered close to Russian intelligence. Putin denies these traditional ties between the clubs and the security bodies.

The IOC risks “burying the Olympic movement” if it imposes such conditions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. “If (the international sports officials, editor) continue to act in the same way, the Olympic movement will be buried. The Olympic idea is suffering,” Putin said.

Source : Blick