The International Olympic Committee believes its president Thomas Bach fell prey to a prank call amid heightened tensions with Russia over restrictions on athletes competing in the Paris Games.
The IOC on Thursday detailed a call from people claiming to be from the African Union, a similar trick to a call Russians made to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in September.
Meloni, who believed he was speaking to African Union officials by phone, acknowledged “fatigue” from the Ukraine war.
The IOC said it had been on the phone with “an individual posing as the president of the African Union Commission” to discuss a statement on the politicization of sport.
The IOC and Mr. Bach have publicly criticized the Russian state over its plans to hold the international multi-sport event in September, weeks after the Paris Olympics conclude. Russian athletes who passed the screening to participate in the Paris Olympics will not participate in the opening ceremony parade. The IOC decided this week on the number of boat operations on the Seine.
“It appears that another incident has occurred in Russia's disinformation and defamation campaign against the International Olympic Committee and its president,” the Olympic organization said in a statement.
“The fake call purporting to be from the African Union Commission appears to have come from the same group that has already attacked a number of world political leaders and other high-ranking figures in similar ways. ” said the IOC.
Russian pranksters Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, known as Voban and Lexus, also deceived Polish President Andrzej Duda in November 2022.
Duda believed he was speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russia is on track to have about 35 athletes qualify for the Paris Olympics, about 10% of the regular team for the Summer Olympics.
