MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. The sanctions that the International Olympics Committee imposed on Russian athletes could last at least a decade, former Russian Athletics Federation President Valentin Balakhnichev said.

"We have talked a lot about what is happening today, but we haven't said how long this situation will last," he said at a roundtable discussion at the Russian State Duma. "I can say that it will last at least 10 years. We need to prepare for a serious, not short, struggle and think not about whether our athletes will be allowed to go to the Olympics now, but about what will be happening in the Russian Federation over the next 10 years."

"The Olympic Games were the main motivation for the development of Russian sports," he said.

Balakhnichev suggested following the example of China, which puts a lot of effort into developing domestic tournaments.

He said the IOC is a commercial organization that controls the vast majority of international sports federations thanks to its multi-billion-dollar revenues.

"The IOC has placed its people everywhere, while our representatives are practically gone. We will have to protect our interests ourselves, from here. They have prepared well," he said.

In February of 2022, the IOC recommended that all Russian athletes be suspended from international competitions. A year later, it said they could be allowed to compete only in a neutral status, and only if they have not publicly expressed support for the Russian special military operation in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the armed forces or national security agencies.