The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has violated the Olympic movement's fundamental principle of "sport outside of politics" to accommodate the Russophobic policies of the West, Russian Foreign Ministry official Maria Zakharova said in response to a media question about the IOC's suspension of accreditation of Russian journalists for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
"This is not the first time that Russian journalists face such restrictions when covering global sports events, such as the Olympic Games. This is the fault of this organization," Zakharova said.
He reported that while the IOC used to treat the host country's position with embarrassment and formal shyness, now it is inventing non-existent reasons to restrict access to the competition for reporters from Russia.
