Sports minister says Moscow should not boycott the upcoming games, despite restrictions on its athletes
\nMOSCOW
\nRussia\u2019s sports minister on Wednesday said Moscow should not boycott the upcoming Paris Olympics, despite restrictions on its athletes over the Kremlin\u2019s offensive in Ukraine.
\nThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year suspended Russia from the Games, but gave the green light for Russian athletes to compete as neutrals outside of team events as long as they do not actively support the Ukraine campaign.
\nRussia slammed the decision but until now had been unclear about whether it would recommend its athletes go to Paris anyway. \u201cWe should not turn away, close ourselves or boycott this movement,\u201d sports minister Oleg Matytsin said.
\n\u201cWe should as much as possible keep the possibility of dialogue and take part in competitions.\u201d
\nHe said Moscow could not give \u201cgeneral recommendations\u201d to all of its athletes because \u201ceach international federation has different approaches\u201d.
\n\u201cSome completely ban taking part, some leave the right to take part in a neutral status,\u201d he said.
\nHe said despite the ban, the Olympic Games remain important to the country.
\n\u201cFor athletes and our society it is very important to keep the dialogue and give our guys a possibility in a just fight to show what a great sporting country we are,\u201d he said.
\nRussian President Vladimir Putin has slammed the restrictions as \u201cdiscrimination\u201d but stopped short of telling the country\u2019s sportsmen if they should go to Paris.
\n\u201cTo go or not to go?… The conditions must be closely analysed,\u201d Putin said in December.
\nMoscow\u2019s offensive in Ukraine has thrown it into isolation from the West, including in sports.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sports minister says Moscow should not boycott the upcoming games, despite restrictions on its athletes MOSCOW Russia\u2019s sports minister on Wednesday said Moscow should not boycott the upcoming Paris Olympics, despite restrictions on its athletes over the Kremlin\u2019s offensive in Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last year suspended Russia from the Games, but gave […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":393659,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-393644","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n