The head of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, called the restrictions imposed by the International Olympic Committee on Russian and Belarusian athletes a violation of human rights.
The IOC has recommended that Russians and Belarusians should not be allowed to participate in international team sports competitions, and that only those unrelated to the armed forces should be allowed to participate in individual competitions. At the same time, even they should act in a neutral status and in a uniform that in no way indicates their affiliation with Russia or Belarus.
“Current IOC criteria are violation of human rights, discrimination,” RIA Novosti quoted Pozdnyakov as saying.
“As for the teams, it is discrimination not only by passport, but also by sport. The decisions of the executive committee are a farce, the principles of the IOC and the UN are violated. We demand a level playing field for the athletes of all countries,” added the ROC leader.
