The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Poddubnyak, has labeled tennis players heading to the Paris games as a “team of foreign agents,” as reported by RIA Novosti.
“They reside mostly abroad, earn their livelihood there, profess to be ‘playing for themselves,’ criticize Russia’s policies and operations,” Poddubnyak remarked.
While acknowledging their athletic accomplishments, the ROC chief stressed that their perspectives sharply contrast with those accepted in Russia.
Recent developments revealed that Russian swimmer Ivan Girev requested the International Swimming Federation to rescind his neutral status granted in October, allowing Russian swimmers to compete in specific events.
Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, warned that any athlete denouncing the war in Ukraine to partake in the Olympics would be deemed “a creature of hell.”
As of March 19, 12 Russian athletes have secured spots for the 2024 Paris Olympics, potentially competing under a neutral banner, with expectations for 36 more to qualify. The IOC anticipates a maximum of 54 Russian participants, but doubts this threshold will be met.
Furthermore, the IOC clarified that Russian athletes are not obligated to denounce the conflict in Ukraine to join the Paris Olympics.
In March, Irina Viner, President of the All-Russian Federation of Artistic Gymnastics and head coach of the national team, expressed…
Original source: theins.ru