"There are other countries that treat us loyally, positively, maybe even kindly. We need to work with them, not wait for someone to hand us something on a silver platter. Sport is diplomacy, just a different form. Let out officials practice this diplomacy instead of drinking coffee in their offices and telling us how hard life is for them because they're not allowed to compete in the Olympics."
"The Russian athletes who competed at Paris in 2024 as 'neutral' were subject to rigorous vetting by the International Olympic Comittee to ensure they had no ties to Russian military or security agencies and did not actively support the war in Ukraine. Russian athletes, according to CBS, will be allowed to again compete under a neutral team at the 2026 Winter Olympics, the International Olympic Committee said earlier this month"
Russia has been banned from competing in the Olympics since Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Only 15 Russian sportspeople competed as neutral athletes at Paris 2024 under strict vetting to ensure no ties to military or support for the war. Russia will not be allowed to send a national team to the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. Former youth ice hockey coach Vladimir Plyushchev attributed the ban to "petty bisexuals" and named Western nations, urging officials to pursue diplomatic engagement with countries that treat Russia kindly. The International Olympic Committee indicated Russian athletes may compete as neutrals in 2026.
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