MOSCOW, March 19. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on foreign athletes to avoid participating in the Friendship Games scheduled to take place this year in Russia, the IOC said in a statement, published on its website.
"It is a cynical attempt by the Russian Federation to politicize sport. The IOC Athletes’ Commission, representing all the Olympic athletes of the world, clearly opposes using athletes for political propaganda. The Commission even sees the risk of athletes being forced by their governments into participating in such a fully politicized sports event, thereby being exploited as part of a political propaganda campaign," the organization said. "The IOC strongly urges all stakeholders of the Olympic Movement and all governments to reject any participation in, and support of, any initiative that intends to fully politicize international sport," reads the statement.
"The Russian government also shows total disrespect for the global anti-doping standards and the integrity of competitions. This is the very same government which was implicated in the systemic doping program at the Olympic Winter Games Sochi 2014 and, later, the manipulation of anti-doping data," the IOC added.
In November 2023, the IOC sent a letter to national Olympic committees recommending that they not participate in the Friendship Games. Later, World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Director General Olivier Niggli said that the organization was concerned about the Friendship Games in Russia. He noted that Russia has no right to hold such events due to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s (RUSADA) non-compliance with the WADA Anti-Doping Code.
The International Friendship Games will be held on September 15-29 in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.