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IOC chief enters criminal conspiracy to disqualify competitive athletes — Russian diplomat

Maria Zakharova also emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into Thomas Bach’s relations with Ukraine’s national Olympic Committee and its members

MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach is clearly part of a criminal conspiracy to disqualify strong athletes from taking part in competitions, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has made a dirty confession to some pranksters," Zakharova wrote on Telegram. She pointed out that in a conversation with Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov ("Vovan") and Alexey Stolyarov ("Lexus"), Bach said that the IOC was keeping close track of political statements made by Russian athletes, particularly with the help of Ukrainian representatives. According to Bach, those who express their support for the Russian government will not be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games because a special IOC monitoring commission has been keeping tabs on the Internet, media outlets and public statements, together with an independent company.

"Thomas Bach has entered into a political, administrative and, clearly, criminal conspiracy with a particular party in order to ban strong sporting rivals from international competitions," the Russian diplomat said.

Zakharova also emphasized the need for a thorough investigation into Bach’s relations with Ukraine’s national Olympic Committee and its members, as well as into his confession about "a request to keep an eye on Russian athletes."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier slammed the activities of the International Olympic Committee and IOC President Thomas Bach, in particular, as a betrayal of the fundamental ideals of the Olympic movement.

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Foreign policy Maria Zakharova

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