The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has voiced sharp criticism on some Russian reactions to its decision that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to take part in the parade of nations at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
IOC spokesman Mark Adams told reporters on Wednesday that one comment from Russia had linked IOC president Thomas Bach with his German nationality and the Holocaust, giving no further details but naming it "completely unacceptable and a new low."
Adams was speaking on behalf of Bach who only said: "Unfortunately this is only one quote and more quotes from Russia were extremely aggressive. Some are very personal also."
The IOC announced its decision on Tuesday after an executive board meeting on the non-participation of Russians and Belarusians at the opening ceremonly parade and that they won't be included in the medal table either.
It said that the eligible Russians and Belarusians will be "individual athletes" and thus not members of a nation but that "an opportunity will be provided for them to experience the event" on site.
It said a decision on the August 11 closing ceremony would come at a later stage.
The July 26 opening ceremony will not be in a stadium and the parade of athletes will take place on boats on the River Seine.
Russians and Belarusians are only allowed to compete at the Paris Games in individual sports and as neutral athletes without any national symbols in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. A special flag and anthem for them was also unveiled on Tuesday.
Quaslified athletes must also pass an IOC panel which will review strict entry criteria including no affiliation with Russia's military and security services as well as not publically supporting the war.
The IOC said that so far 12 Russians and 7 Belarusians have qualified for the Games, and that it was likely 36 Russian and 22 Belarusians would qualify, pending the review.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova denounced the IOC decision as "unlawful, unfair and unacceptable" on her Telegram account and added that "we are outraged by the unprecedented discriminatory conditions imposed by the International Olympic Committee on Russian athletes.
"The IOC has become a place where neo-Nazism and racism flourish. The segregation of people by nationality, ethnicity, the exclusion of people only on the basis of their citizenship from international sporting events is the best evidence of this," she said.
Russian state media quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that "we definitely treat it [the IOC decision] negatively.
"It is detrimental to the ideas of Olympism and infringes upon the interests of athletes, Olympians. It undoubtedly contradicts
the basic ideology of the Olympic Movement and is absolutely detrimental to the IOC reputation," Peskov said.
Bach said the participation of Russian athletes is not being discussed with their national Olympic Committee (ROC) because it is suspended after including territories it occupied in Ukraine, and that it was up to the ROC to be reinstated.
"Everyone who is following the rules is welcome in the Olympic Movement. The ball is in their court. It is our mission to have all NOCs following the Olympic Charter and the rules," Bach said.
Russia is also upset about a strong worded IOC statement in which it recommends all of its stakeholders not to participate in Friendship Games in Russia planned for September in Moscow and Ekaterinenburg and a winter edition 2026 in Sochi.
The IOC spoke of "a cynical attempt by the Russian Federation to politicise sport."
The IOC is not ruling out sanctions for participating, but that these would have to come from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) because according to Bach the event "will not have an internationally acknowledged doping regime.
"This in country which manipulated the system," he added he reference to wide-ranging Russian anti-doping rules violations, including at its Winter Olympics home Games 2014 in Sochi.
"WADA would have to consider what this would mean in regards to compliance for sport in Russia, for the Russian government and the ROC, and participating athletes and NOCs. We do not know enough yet what will finally happen," Bach said.
