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Foreign ministry says campaign against Russian athletes strikes blow on Olympic movement

The Russian Foreign Ministry stresses the current situation is a crime against sports

© Alexandr Sherbak/TASS

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. The campaign against Russian athletes strikes a blow on the Olympic movement and is a crime against sports, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.

Rio Olympics 2016

"What is now happening in sports is a blow not only on us but also on global sports," Zakharova said. "This is a blow on the logics of truce, temporary smoothing of contradictions and demonstration of the fact that despite all these contradictions we have spheres where we can fight honestly and equally, showing our possibilities."

She also quoted US economist Dr. Paul Craig Roberts who said in his July 19 article for Global Research, "We could conclude that Washington wants hegemony in sports just as it does in foreign affairs and wants Russian athletes out of the way so that Americans can win more medals. But this would be to miss the real point of Washington’s campaign against Russia. The ‘doping scandal’ is part of Washington’s ongoing effort to isolate Russia and to build opposition to Putin inside Russia."

"What is being done, in particular, in Washington, is a crime," Zakharova continued. "What the architects of this campaign are doing is a new type of crime which can be called a crime against sports."

"The consequences should be calculated. I am addressing those behind this campaign. You are now striking a major blow on the Olympic movement and sports," she added.

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