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Athletes of 2024 World Friendship Games to have Olympic-like experience — ROC chief

Current conditions of the International Olympic Committee are unjust and illegal," Stanislav Pozdnyakov stressed

ST. PETERSBURG, November 20. /TASS/. The upcoming 2024 World Friendship Games in Russia will provide all participating athletes with the competition experience similar to taking part in the Olympics, President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on Monday.

"The World Friendship Games are organized as a multisport event with the goal of providing a chance for all athletes, who had been unfairly suspended from competitions, to participate in the well-organized and well-paid event," the ROC chief told journalists.

"Under the present-day conditions it’s about the obligation of the national sports authorities to grant our athletes the opportunity to keep practicing in Olympic-like tournaments," Pozdnyakov continued. "Current conditions of the International Olympic Committee are unjust and illegal."

Late last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cautioned National Olympic Committees (NOCs) against participating in the World Friendship Games in Russia next year, as this would violate the global Olympic body’s recommendations.

IOC President Thomas Bach stated on June 22 that "the Russian government was going to hold politicized competitions."

Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed earlier in the year that in 2024, the first Summer World Friendship Games be held in the Russian capital of Moscow. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin later announced that the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games have nothing to do with politics and are in no way a condemnation of the IOC.

IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.

Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.

In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.

On July 26, 2023, the IOC extended invitations to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris to 203 National Olympic Committees. Russia and Belarus did not receive invitations. The IOC explained later that there was no deadline regarding the issue of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation.

The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by the French capital of Paris between July 26 and August 11.

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