"Our principled stance is that this issue should not be politicized, people should not be deprived of sport competitions, of participating in them on political grounds," Vershinin told reporters.
Unfortunately, this is the case now, the diplomat stated.
"We undoubtedly denounce it," he added.
On March 26, the International Olympic Committee issued a recommendation for international sports federations to allow Russian athletes to compete as neutrals, provided that they do not support Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine and are not contracted to the Russian military or national security agencies. Teams under Russian or Belarusian flags will not be allowed. Several international sports federations, including World Taekwondo and United World Wrestling (UWW), have greenlighted neutral Russian athletes, while others have flagged plans to follow suit.