MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The idea of imposing sanctions against athletes for participation in the Games of the Future undermines the authority of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told a news briefing.

"Negatively, absolutely negatively," the Kremlin spokesman responded to a related question. "Attempts to Intimidate athletes completely undermine the authority of the IOC."

Earlier, the director of the IOC department for relations with national Olympic committees James McLeod said that his organization was considering the possibility of sanctions against the participants in the Games of the future. He speculated that such athletes would bear doping and ideological risks. The Latvian Ice Hockey Federation has already suspended the licenses of Latvian athletes who competed at the Kazan Games in February. The Estonian Ice Hockey Federation has also suspended the licenses of all athletes from local leagues who took part in the tournament in Kazan.

The Games of the Future are organized in new disciplines involving modern technology, digital environment and physical activity. The competition is based on the latest achievements in cyber sports, robotics, augmented and virtual reality, information technology and artificial intelligence. About 2,000 contestants from more than 100 countries took part in the Games of the Future in Kazan.