MOSCOW, Oct 11 2000 Olympic fencing champion Paolo Milanoli criticized sanctions of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in relation to Russian athletes. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of federations have followed this recommendation.
"From the Covid-19 emergency to the situation in Ukraine, information in the West seems to be dictated by one voice. It appears to be following a clear plan of separation rather than unification. Therefore, the decision to exclude Paralympic and Olympic athletes seems serious, useless, immoral and even ridiculous. In a word, this is unacceptable","Sport-Express" quotes him as saying.
At the end of September, the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, in an interview with the Italian support a special operation in Ukraine, it is necessary to allow participation in international competitions in a neutral status. According to Milanoli, no one has the right to ban an athlete from competing under the flag of his country.
"There is no doubt about that. Forcing an athlete to start under a neutral flag is not a crime against a single state, but against the whole of humanity", the athlete said.
Milanoli added that he considers the idea of allowing athletes to compete based on political views meaningless. He also urged the IOC to stand up for the rights of all athletes and not try to divide them into «good and bad».