Kremlin demands IOC explain "double standards" on Russian athletes

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to explain what he described as differing approaches toward Russia and countries involved in the Middle East conflict.

Speaking to local media, Peskov said the IOC should clarify why Russia and Belarus face restrictions while no sanctions have been announced against participants in the latest hostilities between Israel, the United States and Iran.

On February 28, Israeli and US forces launched military strikes on Iranian territory. Iran subsequently responded with attacks targeting US and Israeli military bases in the Middle East.

Amid the escalation, the IOC issued a statement underscoring that the principle of neutrality should serve as a “beacon of hope for a world shaken by conflicts, division and tragedies, where people are dying and many are experiencing horrific events.” The organization indicated it does not intend to impose sanctions on the countries involved in the current conflict.

Peskov said he viewed the IOC’s stance as “the right position,” but questioned why a different approach continues to apply to Russia and Belarus. “I see this as the right position. And I do not understand why a different position applies to us and to Belarus. The IOC is obliged to clarify these discrepancies,” he said.

Following the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in 2022, the IOC determined that the situation violated the Olympic Truce and the Olympic Charter and recommended that international sports federations exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions.

In October 2023, the IOC suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC). The ROC challenged the decision at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), but the appeal was dismissed.

In February 2025, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev said that amendments to the ROC’s charter removed all regional Olympic councils from its membership structure, arguing that this eliminated the formal grounds cited by the IOC for the suspension. 

By Vafa Guliyeva