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Serbia to work on organization of sports friendlies with Russia — Serbian sports minister

Zoran Gajic said that he had already instructed the national sports federations to look at the possibilities of organizing joint competitions and matches

BELGRADE, June 2. /TASS/. Serbia will work on the organization of friendly matches with Russian national teams in all sports competitions, Serbian Sports Minister Zoran Gajic said on Monday.

TASS reported earlier that Gajic and Russian Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev signed a memorandum on cooperation in the sphere of physical culture and sports.

"We have agreed on comprehensive cooperation with Russian Sports Minister Degtyarev," said Gajic. "I have already instructed our [national sports] federations to look at the possibilities of organizing joint competitions and matches."

"There are many sports where we could hold such competitions," the Serbian sports minister added.

The Russian national men’s volleyball team played a friendly against Serbia on June 1 and a day earlier, on May 31, the Russian national women’s volleyball team also faced off against their Serbian opponents in a friendly match. Both Russian national teams won in their exhibition matches, hosted by Belgrade, against the Serbian teams.

IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus

On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) issued recommendations to international sports federations to prohibit athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating 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 allowing individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in international sports tournaments, but only under specific 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.

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