From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
Russia accuses Olympics chief of ‘neo-Nazism’ over ban from 2024 Games in Paris
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MOSCOW — Russia launches a furious tirade at the International Olympic Committee, arguing the IOC’s restrictions on Russian athletes and its criticism of the Moscow-organized Friendship Games amount to “neo-Nazism.”
The IOC yesterday both barred Russian athletes from taking part in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 26 and criticized the Kremlin for planning to hold its own “Friendship Games” to rival those held in the French capital.
“These decisions demonstrate how far the IOC has moved away from its stated principles and slipped into racism and neo-Nazism,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova says in a briefing.
The IOC suspended Russia from the 2024 Games last year, but gave the green light for its athletes to compete as neutrals as long as they did not actively support the Kremlin’s assault on Ukraine.
This neutral status forces Russian athletes to “renounce any association with their homeland, with their citizenship, with their history, culture and people,” Zakharova argues.
“The IOC’s decisions are wrongful, unjust and unacceptable,” she says.
“We are outraged by the unprecedented discriminatory conditions imposed by the International Olympic Committee on Russian athletes.”
The Times of Israel Community.