Putin spoke harshly about the IOC and the participation of Russians in the Olympics

Returning from China, Vladimir Putin flew to Perm to attend the forum “Russia – a sports power”. Speaking at the plenary session of this event, the president said that the Russian sports family “is being tested for cohesion and loyalty to the true principles of sport.” He recalled: Russia stood at the origins of the modern Olympic movement and developed its principles.

“Playing sports is, of course, one of the human rights, the pinnacle of true unity of the countries and peoples of the planet,” he said. However, according to Putin, “thanks to some leaders of the modern IOC, we learned that an invitation to the Olympic Games is not an unconditional right of the best athletes,” but a privilege.

“And you can earn it not by sports results, but by some political gestures that have nothing to do with sports at all. And that the Games themselves can be used as a tool of political pressure against people who have nothing to do with politics,” the president said.

Putin also said that IOC officials “arrogated to themselves the right to determine” who is covered by the Olympic Charter and who is not.”

However, according to the president, Russia is confident that “there are values ​​that cannot be canceled, and one of them is sport.” Putin emphasized: for the Russian authorities, the support and development of sports is an absolute state priority and one of the national development goals.