IOC restrictions violate rights of athletes from Russia, Belarus, erode Olympic principles - Kremlin

MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - The International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s new restrictions on Russian and Belarusian athletes violate their interests and go against the ideals of Olympism, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"We view this negatively. Certainly, this erodes the ideas of Olympism, and this violates the interests of athletes, Olympians. Of course, this absolutely runs counter to the entire ideology of the Olympic Movement. This doesn't speak well of the IOC," Peskov told journalists when commenting on new restrictions on athletes from Russia and Belarus announced by the IOC.

Peskov was also asked whether Russian athletes should compete in the Olympic Games in these circumstances.

"As for participation, we've taken note of a statement by an IOC representative that there will be no demands [for athletes] to sign some extra papers, and this is rather positive. And then we'll keep watching," he said.

The Kremlin also criticized the IOC's possible plans to sanction athletes planning to take part in the Friendship Games in Russia. "Absolutely negative. Intimidating athletes utterly undermines the IOC's reputation," Peskov said in commenting on the IOC's corresponding statements.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said, "The IOC's decisions are illegitimate, unfair, and unacceptable."

"We are outraged by the unprecedented discriminatory terms imposed by the IOC on Russian athletes who will compete individually, in the so-called neutral status, who've been actually forced to renounce any association with their home country, their civic affiliation, their history and culture, and their people," Zakharova said at a press briefing.