Vladimir Putin on Thursday criticised countries opposed to Russia’s return to international sport, after European teams announced they would refuse to face Russia at the Ice Hockey World Championships because of the war in Ukraine, AFP and News.ro report.
Vladimir Putin stressed that the International Olympic Committee (IOC), sports federations and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) had ruled in favour of reinstating Russian athletes, but that “some countries continue to impose restrictions that are more political than legal in nature”.
“This is a blatant violation of the law and court rulings and, consequently, of democratic institutions themselves,” he said, without directly naming the countries concerned.
On October 30, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ordered Russia’s reinstatement in this season’s Ice Hockey World Championships, a decision regretted by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), which had barred Russian athletes from its competitions since the start of Russia’s offensive against Ukraine in 2022.
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