Putin called restrictions against Russian athletes a violation of democracy

The President's statement

Russian President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting with members of the government, commented on the obstacles to the return of Russian athletes to international competitions. According to him, a number of countries continue to impose 'not legal, but politicized restrictions' on Russian sport, and this should be interpreted as an outright gross violation of the law, court decisions, and the very institutions of democracy. This was reported by Gazeta.Ru citing RIA Novosti; the same is reported by Life.ru.

Context: the IOC decision and retaliatory boycotts

The statement came after the IOC on July 7 temporarily lifted the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and recommended that all federations remove restrictions on Russian athletes — the previously issued recommendations, according to Gazeta.Ru, became obsolete. After that, a number of countries announced their intention to boycott international competitions involving Russians. The background of the restrictions dates back to March 2022, when the IOC recommended excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes; at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, 15 Russians ultimately competed in a neutral status, without a flag or anthem.

Canada's position

The most concrete example of opposition to admission is Canada. The country's Prime Minister Mark Carney stated that the Russian youth team will not compete at the World Junior Championship, which will be held in Canada at the turn of 2026 and 2027. The Hockey Canada federation intends to determine further actions taking into account the position of the government, which spoke out against the participation of Russians and Belarusians under national symbols. Dmitry Medvedev reacted in Russia to Carney's statement, calling the Canadian prime minister a 'scoundrel' and suggesting that the 'enemies' themselves will 'humbly beg' Russia to return to sport.

What is known and what remains unclear

Thus, a divergence of positions has been recorded on two levels: international sports institutions — the IOC, individual federations, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in Putin's assessment, make decisions in defense of the principles of the Olympic Charter, while individual states, primarily Canada, oppose the participation of Russians. Sources do not report any final decision on the admission of the Russian team to the junior championship in Canada — the question remains open, and Putin, according to Gazeta.Ru, previously instructed the ROC to continue its work on protecting the interests of Russian athletes.