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Putin postpones World Friendship Games indefinitely

The World Friendship Games were supposed to take place in Moscow and Yekaterinburg between September 15 and 19 this year in Moscow and Yekaterinburg

MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has decreed to postpone the World Friendship Games indefinitely.

"In order to protect the right of athletes and sports organizations to free access to international sports activities, I hereby decree to postpone the holding of the World Friendship Games international competition until further instructions from the President of the Russian Federation," the decree says.

Putin also ordered the government to introduce legal amendments that would make it possible to forward the profits from Russia's gambling industry to a fund that would provide additional support to youth and mass sports, sports schools, the Olympic and Paralympic Committees of Russia, national and regional sports federation, organizing and holding new competitions and events, as well as developing sports infrastructure.

The World Friendship Games were supposed to take place in Moscow and Yekaterinburg between September 15 and 19 this year in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.

On March 9, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) called on foreign athletes and governments to boycott the Friendship Games, saying the Russian games were politically motivated. Later, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) also expressed its concerns over the games, noting that Russia had no right to hold such events given the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s failure to comply with the World Anti-Doping Code. WADA head Witold Banka said that he would do everything in his power to make sure that as few foreign athletes go to Russia to take part in the games as possible. Russia rejected all allegations of having a political agenda and called on the IOC to take a closer look at the nature of the event.

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