The Russian Embassy in the United States of America reacted strongly to the US State Department’s statement in support of the call for a temporary suspension of the Russian Federation’s membership in international sports federations.
The Russian embassy described the initiative as anti-Russian and called it part of a ridiculous campaign to abolish the country.
In the past few months, Russian sports are going through hard times. Currently, most Russian athletes are subject to suspension from international competitions, and some are allowed to participate in tournaments only in a neutral position.
The Russian national team was deprived of the opportunity to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and the hockey team was deprived of the opportunity to play at the World Championships in Finland, where the team could play with all its stars.
Basketball players, snowboarders and other persons are subject to punishment.
The International Ski Federation (FIS) has extended the suspension of Russian participation for the entire summer season.
The US State Department issued a statement on Tuesday announcing that it has joined the call for the exclusion of Russian federations from international sports federations. The initiative was supported by another 34 countries, including the UK, Germany, Poland, Finland and Sweden, and Belarus was also proposed to be subjected to sanctions.
In addition, the organization called for the removal of people closely associated with Russia and Belarus from influential positions in international sports federations, as well as considering the possibility of suspending the broadcast of sporting events in the two countries.
As for athletes, it is proposed to allow them to participate in international tournaments only in a neutral position, as well as to prohibit them from using symbols and the national anthem. In addition, any public statements or symbols must comply with the “Neutral Approach”.
The first to initiate the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from international sports was the Minister of Sports and Tourism of Poland, Kamil Bortnichok, who announced in early July that his colleagues had signed a joint statement calling for the suspension of the state’s membership in sports organizations.
As for the position of the US State Department, the Russian Embassy in the US immediately reacted to it. The ministry sharply criticized this initiative and the allied countries, calling the main goal “containment of Russia.”
The embassy said in a statement: “We have noticed another attack against Russia by the United States and its affiliated countries, which are not abandoning their attempts to limit Russia’s participation in sporting events. a far-fetched pretext about an alleged violation of our international obligations and a violation of human rights. In the context of a special military operation in Ukraine … We consider this step politicized and aimed, as they say here, at “containment” of our country. At the same time, Ukraine is clearly just a suggestion. The persecution of Russian athletes began long before the current events. This is part of a ridiculous campaign to abolish Russia.”
The embassy regarded these actions as an example of “unfair competition” aimed at depriving Russian athletes of the opportunity to compete on an equal footing with rivals from other countries.
The embassy also said that sport should be kept out of politics, and using it as a tool of pressure “contradicts the spirit of competition and healthy competition.”
Source: “russian.rt.com”