Putin: Opponents of Russia's admission to sport ignore the Olympic Charter

Countries that oppose Russia's participation in world sport are ignoring the principles of the Olympic Charter, President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting of the Council for the Development of Physical Culture and Sport.

According to him, Russia maintains contacts with many national federations, but federations in a number of countries, under pressure from their own governments, are refusing to hold matches with Russian athletes.

Putin noted that those who fight for uniform rules and for the preservation of democratic institutions "themselves ignore all these rules and these institutions," adding that, unfortunately, it is precisely these people one has to deal with on the international stage.

Putin called for continuing to follow the legal path and to defend the decisions, "including those of the Court of Arbitration for Sport," since opponents ignore the judicial system in this area and all the principles of the Olympic Charter.