MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. Tatiana Tarasova, a Russian figure skating coach, on Wednesday said a recent statement by International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach confirmed that the recommendation to exclude Russian athletes from competitions was a consequence of the organization’s bias in assessing the situation in Ukraine.

Bach earlier said the recommendation followed the global reaction to the events in Ukraine, which differed from the reaction to similar conflicts in Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen, Mali, Ethiopia and other countries.

"That shows that they are not the ones who make decisions on this important issue," Tarasova told TASS. "It's amazing that people make such tough decisions about people who are working hard, who have been able to win for several years, even about children. Let him try this with his child."

"If he had said that it was his decision, that he thought that way, then it would have been more appropriate than saying that the decision was not his," she said.

Tarasova said that Bach's words indicate that the IOC is not independent in the issue of applying sanctions against Russian athletes.

International federations, following the recommendation of the IOC, began to massively remove Russian athletes from competitions. The Union of European Football Associations this week announced that Russian teams and clubs will not participate in tournaments under the auspices of the organization next season.