“Now they say that it is difficult for our athletes.
But it has been difficult for us since 2014.
We forget about it all the time.
After all, the first sanctions hit the athletes.
And for eight years, athletes have been experiencing these sanctions.
The Olympic Charter says that sport is out of politics.
Today we see that in fact this is not so, ”Levitin said at the forum“ Russia is a sports power ”.
He also said that now the world is changing, and the main task is to make sport one for all.
According to him, if the Olympic movement collapses, then everything will turn into regional sports structures.
“We will not forbid anyone to come to Russia,” Levitin added.
Recall that the IOC recommended that sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions because of the situation in Ukraine.
Earlier, former WADA Deputy Director General Rob Koehler accused the IOC of protecting Russian athletes.