Putin accused the IOC of ethnic discrimination

Russian President Vladimir Putin today accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of ethnic discrimination, since due to the war in Ukraine, Russian athletes can only participate in a limited number and under a neutral flag at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.

"Thanks to some leaders of the International Olympic Committee, we learned that the Games themselves can be used as an instrument of political pressure against people who have nothing to do with politics and de facto as a crude instrument of ethnic and racial discrimination," Putin said during a speech on sports in Perm.

Russian sports teams have been suspended from international competitions since the war in Ukraine began last February. The IOC has been trying for months to ensure that Russian athletes compete in the Olympics, but under strict conditions, especially that they are not connected to the military.

Russian athletes could compete at the Games as neutrals, without state symbols and anthems.

This month, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee until further notice after the Russian body recognized the regional committees of the four Ukrainian territories annexed by Russia - Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporozhye.

The IOC said that the recognition of those areas "is a violation of the Olympic Charter because it violates the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine."