(MENAFN) An adviser to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky claimed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) accepted payments from Russia and was "promoting war." The IOC has refuted these charges. Mikhail Podoliak reacted angrily to the IOC's suggestion to reinstate Russian competitors in competition.
“The IOC rejects in the strongest possible terms this and other defamatory statements,” According to a statement quoted by Reuters on Monday. Noting that “they cannot serve as a basis for any constructive discussion.”
The IOC said last week that it was looking into "a pathway" allowing athletes from Belarus and Russia to compete in international competitions under a neutral flag with some limitations. It asked event planners to refrain from inviting athletes from the two nations in February, ostensibly to preserve the integrity of athletics and to support Kiev.
The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine retaliated by threatening to skip the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. Zelensky among other prominent Ukrainian authorities fiercely rejected the initiative.
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