MOSCOW, September 22. /TASS/. Russia exerts huge efforts for development of professional sports and will continue supporting this area, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"Of course, development of professional sports, sports of supreme achievements is impossible without the state. Our state exerts huge efforts and will continue this consistent course regarding the sports of supreme achievements," the spokesman said, commenting on the situation in sports amid sanctions.

Previously, Chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted that, due to the sanctions, Russian athletes compete as individual sportsmen, adding that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) effectively banned Russia from "funding neutral athletes."

However, the Kremlin believes that reason will prevail in international sports organizations eventually and Russia will once again return to the "Olympic family," Peskov said.

"We hope that reason will prevail in the end. The idea of Olympism will prevail. And we will once again reintegrate into the ‘Olympic family’," the spokesman said, commenting on the restrictions of Russian athletes.

He noted that "the very idea of Olympism will suffer" because of the current sanctions.

"And of course, this will not affect the future of the Olympic movement positively," he believes.

In February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason. In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events. A number of sports federations followed the IOC recommendations, while the rest still prohibit Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions.