SAMARA, November 6. /TASS/. Currently, Russia is the key advocate of Olympic values, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said at the plenary session "Sport for the future: Winning together" at the forum "Russia is a sports power".

"Our President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin always notes that Russia is ready and will cooperate with all those who share the traditional values and principles of sports, who cherish these values. And we see that today Russia is actually the main advocate of Olympic values, which, alas, are often violated abroad. Our main goal is to restore the rights of our athletes. This is a key task for the Ministry of Sports and the Russian Olympic Committee," Degtyarev said.

"We are carrying out this work today. In its latest decision, the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee made it clear that the participation of athletes in international competitions should be guaranteed regardless of nationality. And discrimination on political grounds is incompatible with the Olympic movement. These principles are the same for everyone, and they also apply to us, Russia, and our neighbors, allies, and Belarus."

The Russia - Sports Power Forum will end on November 7. TASS is the information partner of the forum.