MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Russia will continue to defend the rights of its athletes, despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC)’s decision to suspend membership of the Russian Olympic Committee, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday.
"We, on our part, will continue to use all the necessary international legal instruments to defend the rights of our athletes," she said.
According to the spokeswoman, Russia will also continue to protect the global sport’s mission of being a "unique medium for developing and strengthening human connections, for creating mutually respectful communications, for bridging gaps between peoples and for bringing them together.".