S. PETERSBURG, June 16, Sergey Fuks. Russian Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin, commenting on the sanctions imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and international federations, compared Russia to a hungry child who was kicked out into the street.
“It's no secret that China is now our main partner. We will continue to develop ties at all levels. We have a phenomenal number of events with Belarus — about 700 a year. foreign colleagues… Well, this is not sports, this is not an Olympic family. If this is a family, then behave differently. Otherwise, it's like with a child — go starve on the street, improve, and we can accept you,» Matytsin emphasized within the framework of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The IOC, after the start of the CBO, recommended that international sports federations ban Russian athletes from participating in international competitions. In March 2023, the IOC executive committee recommended that Russian athletes be allowed to compete in international tournaments in a neutral status, subject to a number of criteria. The President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Stanislav Pozdnyakov, said that there are political points in the criteria, and they should be excluded.
SPIEF-2023 takes place in St. Petersburg on June 14-17. is an information partner and photohost agency of the forum.