Foreign Minister Lavrov Values Bias, IOC Says Prohibition Against Russia Cannot Be Compared To Hamas-Israeli Conflict

JAKARTA - The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Friday said Russia's efforts to compare the suspension of the Olympic Committee in its country with the situation of Israeli athletes after the start of the conflict between Israel and Hamas were inappropriate.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday the IOC aligns itself with Western political decisions, after the Olympic agency said discrimination against athletes at the Olympics would soon be handled, as they were not responsible for their government's decision.

The IOC has responded to questions about Israeli athletes participating in next year's Paris Olympics, as well as the potential refusal of athletes from other countries to compete with them due to ongoing conflict.

Foreign Minister Lavrov called the IOC statement "embarrious", saying it "proves its political bias".

"This (Russia) is a unique situation and cannot be compared to any other war or conflict in the world. Due to the actions taken and the recommendations made by the IOC, it is a consequence of the Russian army's invasion of Ukraine during the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics and Paralympics", an IOC spokesperson said.

The IOC did not ban the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until last month, after recognizing regional organizations from four annexed regions from Ukraine.

The IOC said on October 12, ROC would soon be banned after recognizing the Olympic Council from Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions.

"This is a violation of the Olympic Charter, for violating the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee, as the IOC recognizes in accordance with the Olympic Charter," said an IOC spokesman.

Earlier, Foreign Minister Lavrov on Thursday said the IOC was only to western countries when it said discriminatory behavior would be punished at the Olympics.

"This is of course outrageous. Once again we see an example of the bias and failure of the International Olympic Committee, which has repeatedly proven its political bias," Foreign Minister Lavrov explained.

"Everything that is the responsibility of the interests of Western countries, especially the United States, actively supports and tries to find a formulation that in general will approve this route," he said.

"Embarrassing and of course the IOC really discredits itself," he said.

It is known, the decision whether Russian athletes will be allowed to take part in the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes without flags or national anthems has not been taken. However, the IOC has repeatedly stated that it will not punish athletes for the government's decision.