Paris Soir - Ukraine irrelevant to Russia and IOC's relationship: Russian minister

A Russian team of 13 athletes and 10 coaches will parade with their national flag at the Youth Olympics in Dakar at the end of this month, and the Russian national anthem will be played.

Indeed it is 10 years since a victorious Russian athlete has heard the national anthem ring out at a senior Olympics.

A state-sponsored doping programme implemented, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency, at the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, and the assault on Ukraine launched by President Vladimir Putin in 2022 resulted in Russians competing in various guises, most recently as Individual Neutral Athletes.

However, on July 7 Russia came in from the cold when the IOC eased restrictions on Russian athletes and opened a pathway for them to compete in qualifying events for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

A furious Ukraine filed an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) requesting that the IOC decision be annulled.

"The IOC's decision is not something Ukraine should concern itself with, as they are not involved in any related dispute," Degtyarev said in an interview with AFP.

"So there can only be one outcome: the claim should be dismissed, as the claimant lacks proper standing in the case," added the 45-year-old.

The competition in Senegal will be the first time that Russia's national symbols have been permitted since the 2020 Youth Olympics in Lausanne.

The IOC did defer a decision on whether the flag and the anthem would be reintroduced for the LA Games.

Ukraine claim the IOC's decision contradicted the provisions of the Olympic Charter, was taken prematurely and failed to "take into account the factual circumstances that served as the basis for the suspension."

Degtyarev's Ukrainian counterpart Matviy Bidnyi told AFP Russia was fooling the IOC over their claims to have ceased sports activities on Ukrainian land annexed during the ongoing special military operation.

- 'Focus on sport' -

But Degtyarev said what went on between the IOC and Russia was no-one else's business.

"The relations between the IOC and Russia are a matter between the IOC and Russia," he insisted.

"The IOC, most international federations and tournament organisers follow the Olympic Charter and aim to focus on sport instead of getting caught up in political arguments and controversies."

Degtyarev complained that Russia had been singled out for punishment when those involved in other wars had been free to compete in sporting events.

"Russia has never demanded that anyone be suspended, and we wouldn't wish the experience of a ban on anyone," he said.

"At the same time, many people ask why Russian athletes were restricted from competing while, for example, American and Israeli athletes were not.

"However, we have never framed the issue in those terms ourselves."

He said war was commonplace but that "sport should unite, not divide".

"The IOC is now restoring this principle," he added.

A pugnacious Degtyarev predicted that countries who try to bar other nations from competing will end up as the losers.

"Those who choose to organise boycotts and provocations against Russian athletes or any other athletes will find themselves in a marginal minority and will lose the opportunity to host international competitions," he said.

R.Fournier--PS