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The Kremlin said Wednesday that the International Olympic Committee’s guidelines that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions as neutrals contain “elements of discrimination.”
Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from most international competitions over the war in Ukraine, but guidelines issued by the IOC on Tuesday seek to allow for their gradual return.
The guidelines have infuriated Russian authorities, however, who say any move to deprive athletes of their national symbols is discriminatory.
“Such recommendations were characterized as containing elements of discrimination, which is unacceptable,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on a conference call. “We will continue to defend the interests of our athletes in every possible way.”
IOC president Thomas Bach said Tuesday that it would be up to the international sports federations to decide which athletes from Russia and Belarus can compete as neutrals, meaning without their national flag or country’s anthem.
According to the guidelines, athletes from Russia and Belarus cannot take part in team events and must have a proven drug testing record, while athletes who support the war or are contracted to their countries’ military or national security agency are excluded.
The recommendations made by the IOC executive board concern the return of athletes to international competitions but not specifically the 2024 Paris Olympics, for which a separate decision will be made at a later date.
Ukraine and some of its allies have threatened to boycott the Paris Games should Russians and Belarusians compete, even as neutral athletes.
On Wednesday, Poland Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki blasted the IOC’s decision and said it would work toward its reversal.
“We will build a coalition of states to together demand that the IOC withdraw this bad and wrong decision,” Morawiecki told a news conference.