Thomas Bach: Government criticism over return of Russian athletes 'deplorable', says IOC president

Thomas Bach has insisted the IOC is not connected the incorrect broadside of past pursuing disapproval implicit the imaginable inclusion of Russian athletes astatine the Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach says disapproval by immoderate governments implicit the instrumentality of Russian and Belarusian athletes to planetary athletics is "deplorable".

That is contempt much than 30 countries, including the United Kingdom, pledging to enactment an ongoing ban.

Bach said specified interventions would mean the "end of satellite athletics arsenic we cognize it".

"It is deplorable to spot that immoderate governments bash not privation to respect the bulk wrong the Olympic question and each stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport," added Bach.

"It is deplorable that these governments bash not code the question of treble standards. We person not seen a azygous remark connected their cognition connected the information of athletes from countries of the different 70 wars and equipped struggle astir the world."

Bach's comments came a time aft a big of international athletes criticised the IOC president's claim that Russians and Belarusians competing arsenic neutrals successful their athletics "works".

Ukrainian tennis subordinate Marta Kostyuk said she and others person been warring to exclude those athletes from their sport, portion compatriot Lesia Tsurenko said playing against Russians is "an ethical conflict".

The Danish Fencing Federation cancelled an planetary fencing lawsuit successful Copenhagen connected Thursday aft the sport's governing assemblage permitted the instrumentality of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The IOC's proposal for neutral information lone extends to idiosyncratic athletes, not teams.

A determination connected whether Russians and Belarusians tin vie astatine the Paris 2024 Olympics volition beryllium taken astatine a aboriginal date.

"Government interventions person strengthened the unity of the Olympic movement," said Bach.

"It cannot beryllium up to the governments to determine which athletes tin enactment successful which competition.

"This would beryllium the extremity of satellite athletics arsenic we cognize it today."

Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Paris Games if a prohibition is not upheld, with sports curate Vadym Guttsait accusing the IOC of "double standards".

The IOC called connected sporting federations to prohibition athletes from Russia and its state Belarus, pursuing the penetration of Ukraine successful February 2022.