“The Russian team performs at the Youth Olympic Games with the same rights as everyone else. The final decision regarding the manipulation of data from the Moscow anti-doping laboratory has not yet been made. Up to this point, Russian athletes have the same rights and obligations as other participants. This is fair and especially important for the younger generation of athletes, ”said Bach.

By the decision of the Executive Committee of the World Anti-Doping Agency, Russia was suspended from major international competitions for four years. The Russian side intends to appeal this verdict to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Youth Winter Olympics will be held in Lausanne, Switzerland from January 9 to 22.

Earlier, the IOC announced that they would consider the issue of Russia's participation in the Olympics 2020 after the CAS decision.