© AFP / Fabrice Coffrini
Restrictions against Russian athletes announced by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) earlier this week are discriminatory, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
On Tuesday, the IOC announced that the maximum number of Russians who can qualify for the Paris Olympic Games this summer is 55, while Belarus is limited to 28 athletes. Participants from both nations can only appear in individual events, under neutral status, and may not take part in the opening ceremony.
Responding on Wednesday, Peskov said the move "destroys Olympic ideals and discriminates against the interests of Olympians." The restrictions are "absolutely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement," he argued.
Peskov commented more positively, however, on the announcement that Russian athletes cleared to take part in the Paris Games will not be forced to make statements criticizing Moscow's military operation against Ukraine.
In addition to the restrictions, the IOC said it has set up a commission to approve the participation of each Russian and Belarusian under neutral status. The committee also released a list including 19 'neutral' competitors from the two countries who have so far been cleared to participate.
Following the start of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022, the IOC recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus should not be allowed to compete in international events.
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