Russia's sports minister said Wednesday that Moscow should not boycott the upcoming Paris Olympics despite restrictions on athletes citing the Kremlin's attacks on Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended Russia's participation in the Olympics last year, but gave the go-ahead for Russian athletes to compete as a neutral country outside of team competitions unless they actively support the Ukrainian movement.
Russia condemned the decision, but it was unclear until now whether it would encourage its players to go to Paris anyway.
Sports Minister Oleg Matitsyn said: “We should not turn our backs on this movement, close our hearts and boycott it.”
“We should maintain the possibility of dialogue as much as possible and engage in competition.”
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He said Moscow could not give a “general recommendation” to all athletes because “each international federation has a different approach.”
“Some prohibit participation completely, while others retain the right to participate on a neutral basis,” he said.
He said that despite the ban, the Olympics remain important to the country.
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“It is very important for athletes and our society to continue the dialogue and give our athletes a chance in a fair fight to show what a great sporting nation we are,” he said. .
Russian President Vladimir Putin denounced the restrictions as “discrimination” but stopped short of telling his country's athletes whether they should travel to Paris.
President Putin said in December: “Should I go or not? … We need to carefully analyze the situation.”
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Moscow's offensive in Ukraine left it isolated from Western countries, including the sports world.
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