YEKATERINBURG, September 2. /TASS/. The West has extremely politicized the situation in high performance sports in order to exert pressure on Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday. 

"Today’s situation on the global arena in the sphere of high performance sports is extremely politicized," he said. "This is a part of the politics on behalf of our Western partners to restrain Russia."

"The use of sports as a tool of political pressure brazenly undermines the principles of the international sports movement," Lavrov stated.

According to the Russian foreign minister, this situation resulted in the ban on Russian athletes participating in some international sports tournaments under the colors of the state flag and to the tune of the country’s anthem until 2022.

"We are confident that the best proof against the inadmissibility of politicizing sports is the performance of our national athletes at international tournaments," Russia’s top diplomat continued. "Our Olympians boldly proved it in Tokyo, and now we are witnessing how our Paralympians are reinforcing our reputation in the international sports movement."

Team ROC’s (the Russian Olympic Committee) athletes finished fifth in the overall medal standings of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo last month. They won 71 Olympic medals, including 20 gold, 28 silver, and 23 bronze ones.

Russian athletes competed in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian National Olympic Committee (ROC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem. Additionally, the national anthem of Russia was under sanctions at the Olympics in Japan and so ROC athletes received their gold medals to the tune of the First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky.

As of today, the Russian national team of Para athletes in Tokyo — participating as Team RPC (the Russian Paralympic Committee) due to international sanctions against Russian sports — boasts 32 gold, 23 silver, and 41 bronze medals. Team RPC is currently 3rd in the overall medal count, following China (77-46-43) and Great Britain (33-27-35).

Russian athletes are competing in the 2020 Summer Paralympic Games in Tokyo under the flag and logo of the Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) instead of the Russian national flag and state emblem. The national anthem of Russia is also under sanctions at the Paralympics in Japan. The First Piano Concerto by Pyotr Tchaikovsky was selected to be played at awarding ceremonies for Russian Paralympians in Tokyo.

Lavrov also said that Russia resorts to all necessary measures to stop arbitrariness in regard to Russian athletes at international sports tournaments.

"We resort to all necessary measures on the international arena providing diplomatic and legal support to Russian athletes and coaches and everyone, who is involved in training our national sports teams," the minister said. "We are seeking an end to any type of arbitrariness in regard to our athletes, and this includes decisions, which are being obtruded on the whole world, and which are far beyond the national jurisdictions."

Sanctions against Russian sports

On December 17, 2020, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland’s Lausanne partially upheld WADA’s (the World Anti-Doping Agency) previous ruling on a number of sanctions against Russian sports.

Following the CAS decision, Russian athletes were deprived of their right to participate in all World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games under the national flag of Russia for a two-year period.

The ruling of the Swiss-based court also stripped Russia of the right to bid for the organization of all international sports tournaments for a period of two years. WADA’s sanctions will be in force until December 2022.