“We have yet to create a system of domestic competitions, diversify this system, compensate for the lack of international competitions by creating competitions in a different format with countries that are ready and want to interact with us,” RIA Novosti quotes Peskov.
He stated that discriminatory measures against Russian sports, introduced, among other things, by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), are a reality that one has to face.
“And this is a big problem for athletes who, unfortunately, cannot maintain their sports form at the proper level because of this, and this imposes on the state, on the relevant departments, first of all, the Ministry of Sports,” he added.
On September 8, the International Olympic Committee upheld the sanctions against Russian athletes.
The IOC recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.
Thus, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be able to take part in the qualifying competitions for the Olympics in Paris.
Earlier, four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov reacted to the news that the IOC maintained sanctions against Russian athletes.