Exclusion of Russian athletes from the Paris opening ceremony: International Olympic Committee says 'aggressive' Russian criticism has reached 'new low'
In response to the Kremlin's criticism following the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris opening ceremony, the IOC denounced the accusations of "racism and Neo-Nazism" as "aggressive" and criticised them as "a new low."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to criticisms from Russia regarding athlete restrictions during a press conference that marked the end of its two-day Executive Board session.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams said the statements from Moscow, including accusations of "racism and Neo-Nazism", were "very aggressive" and reached "a new low".
IOC President Thomas Bach deferred to his spokesperson Adams when asked about the quotes from Russia due to the "personal" nature of the accusations.
In response to the Kremlin's criticism following the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paris opening ceremony, the IOC denounced the accusations of "racism and Neo-Nazism" as "aggressive" and criticised them as "a new low."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to criticisms from Russia regarding athlete restrictions during a press conference that marked the end of its two-day Executive Board session.
The Kremlin reacted furiously to the IOC banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from the traditional opening parade at the Paris Olympics on Tuesday.
"These decisions demonstrate how far the IOC has moved away from its stated principles and slipped into racism and neo-Nazism," Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a briefing.
Russia and Belarus are barred from team sports at the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting procedure for individual athletes from those countries to be granted neutral status.
The IOC also revealed details of the replacement flag in jade green that will be used for neutral athletes at medal ceremonies, where a specially written anthem without lyrics will be played.
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