MOSCOW, Aug 11 that Russian athletes were suspended from international competitions, 50% reacted negatively to the fact that some athletes change citizenship for the sake of a career, according to the results of a survey by the Public Opinion Foundation. At the end of February, the International Olympic Committee recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of international federations excluded Russians and Belarusians from competitions under their auspices, and also canceled the competitions in Russia, other federations allowed athletes in a neutral status. Russian President Vladimir Putin, commenting on the sanctions imposed by a number of countries against Russian athletes, said that with this step, Western states trampled on Olympic and Paralympic principles. According to the study, the removal of Russian athletes from international competitions upset 73% of citizens, 26% remained indifferent. Also, 72% of respondents believe that now the Russian sports authorities should seek the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions, 17% are sure that this should not be done. 42% of respondents know that Russian athletes were suspended from competitions, 34% something heard about it, 23% learned about it during the survey. According to 35% of respondents, the suspension will have a negative impact on the development of Russian sports, 10% believe that the suspension will have a positive effect, 41% — that it will not affect in any way.
