Kremlin categorically disagrees with IOC policy toward Russian athletes - Peskov

MOSCOW. Nov 15 (Interfax) - Russia disagrees with the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) stance on Russian athletes but will continue contacts with it, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"Firstly, we will definitely continue our contacts with the IOC, no matter what. Secondly, we categorically disagree with the line that the IOC has chosen with regard to our athletes in the context of their Olympic prospects," Peskov told journalists on Wednesday. Journalists asked him to comment on IOC President Thomas Bach asking international sports federations not to support the organization of alternative international "politically motivated sports events" and the IOC's recommendation for national Olympic committees not to participate in the World Friendship Games in Russia.

"The letter I in the IOC abbreviation doesn't stand for international monopoly over the entire sports world. The sports world is much more diverse, it embraces a huge number of countries, and competitions can have various formats, with different countries initiating them. All of this can well take place beyond the IOC context," Peskov said.