Over 30 countries to track compliance with IOC recommendations for Russian athletes - U.S. Dept of State

WASHINGTON. May 4 (Interfax) - The United States, the United Kingdom, France and another 33 countries said in a joint letter on Thursday that they would track compliance with International Olympic Committee (IOC) guidelines in relation to Russian and Belarusian athletes' possible participation in the Olympic Games.

"We will closely watch the implementation of the recommendations by the IOC and international sports federations over the coming weeks. If these issues are not addressed, we would expect the IOC to reconsider its approach," says the letter published by the U.S. Department of State.

The IOC said on March 28 that athletes from Russia or Belarus may be allowed to compete in international tournaments only as neutral athletes, provided they do not actively support Russia's special military operation in Ukraine. Any athlete who has contract obligations to the Armed Forces - for instance, with the CSKA sport club - will be barred from competing.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said later that the Russian authorities would protect the interests of Russian athletes. He also said that the Russian Olympic Committee had noted elements of discrimination in the IOC recommendations, and described them as unacceptable.