The International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Paralympic counterpart the IPC have stained their reputations permanently with their treatment of Russia and it is difficult to see how the organizations can redeem themselves, according to a withering assessment from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko.
Speaking at a discussion panel at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) on Friday, Chernyshenko said Russia would remain open to friendly countries but would pursue new avenues for its sports competitions in the face of extensive bans imposed because of the military operation in Ukraine.
“Regarding the pivot to the East, to countries friendly to us… We need to strengthen sovereignty, be open. We need new formats of cooperation, we need to be open to friendly countries,” Chernyshenko was quoted as saying by TASS.
“The mechanisms of the IOC and the IPC have discredited themselves forever, I don’t know how they can clean themselves up and make the competition system fair again.