Zelenskyy on IOC decision: Russia will not use sports as weapon

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has commented on the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend Russia’s Olympic Committee for including "sports organisations" located in the occupied territories of Ukraine. He stated that Russia will not be able to turn sports into its weapon.

Source: Zelenskyy in the evening video address

Quote: "There is a decision by the International Olympic Committee, which suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee. Everyone in the world should respect the territorial integrity of nations and the UN Charter. And if someone in Russia thinks they can use sports and the Olympic movement as a weapon, that will definitely not work."

Details: He also thanked everyone who defends the Olympic principles.

Background: On Thursday, 12 October, the IOC suspended the Olympic Committee of Russia due to the latter including the so-called sports organisations located in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

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