MOSCOW: Russia will defend its athletes against doping allegations and work to preserve its ties with the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.
The IOC is set to decide later on Tuesday on the level of Russia’s participation in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics as calls to ban the country over suspected state-sponsored doping grow louder.
“We intend to defend the interests of our athletes, of the Russian Federation, to remain committed to the ideals of Olympism and preserve all ties with the IOC, and through these ties the problems that have arisen will be resolved,” Peskov told reporters on a conference call.
Peskov said on Monday that Russia was not planning to boycott the Olympics if the IOC imposed restrictions on the country’s participation.
More than 20 athletes have been banned for life from the Olympics in the past weeks over alleged doping violations at the 2014 Sochi Games.
The bans came as a result of an IOC investigation into allegations of widespread doping among Russians and sample tampering by laboratory and security officials at the Sochi Olympics.
The Russian authorities have vehemently denied any state involvement in doping and pledged to work with international sports bodies to curb the use of banned performance-enhancing drugs in the country.
Russia’s Paralympic Committee, athletics federation and anti-doping agency RUSADA remain suspended over doping scandals.
Kremlin to defend athletes against doping allegations, keep IOC ties
Kremlin to defend athletes against doping allegations, keep IOC ties
Morocco Coach Dismisses Aguerd injury talk, backs Ait Boudlal ahead of Mali test
- “Who told you Aguerd is injured? He’s training as usual and has no problems,” Regragui told reporters
- He confirmed captain Romain Saiss will miss the game with a muscle injury
RABAT: Morocco coach Walid Regragui has dismissed reports that defender Nayef Aguerd is injured, saying the center back was fit and ready for Friday’s Africa Cup of Nations Group A clash against Mali.
“Who told you Aguerd is injured? He’s training as usual and has no problems,” Regragui told reporters.
Regragui confirmed captain Romain Saiss will miss the game with a muscle injury sustained against Comoros in their tournament opener, while full back Achraf Hakimi, recently crowned African Player of the Year, is recovering from an ankle problem sustained with Paris St. Germain last month and could feature briefly. “Hakimi is doing well and we’ll make the best decision for him,” Regragui said. The coach also heaped praise on 19-year-old defender Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal, calling him “a great talent.”
“I’ve been following him for years. I called him up a year and a half ago when he was a substitute at Rennes and people criticized me. Today everyone is praising him – that shows our vision is long-term,” Regragui said. “We must not burn the player. We’ll use him at the right time. We’ll see if he starts tomorrow or comes in later.”
Ait Boudlal echoed his coach’s confidence.
“We know the responsibility we carry. Every game is tough and requires full concentration. We listen carefully to the coach’s instructions and aim to deliver a performance that meets fans’ expectations,” he said.
Morocco opened the tournament with a 2-0 win over Comoros and will secure qualification with victory over Mali at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.
“It will be a tough match against a strong team,” Regragui added.
