Russia cannot accept sanctions that Disciplinary Commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), chaired by Denis Oswald, imposed on the Russian participants in the Sochi Olympics, the country's Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said.
"The recent decision does not mean that we will accept the results of the Oswald Commission’s investigation, as it continues to make announcements almost every day, we cannot tolerate and accept it," Mutko stressed.
"We don’t see strong evidence, there are only claims by Rodchenkov and McLaren, so we will provide all the possible support to our athletes in order to protect their honor and reputation. We should stand together and understand that there are certain goals behind some decisions, which particularly aim at weakening Russia’s sports industry. Everyone should understand that and see these threats," TASS cited the Russian deputy prime minister as saying.
Following these investigations, on December 5, the IOC banned the Russian national team from participating in the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea. At the same time, the IOC allowed them to participate in the upcoming games as "Olympic Athletes of Russia."
The Winter Olympic Games in South Korea’s PyeongChang will be held on February 9-25, 2018.
