LAUSANNE: Moscow’s criticism of Olympic restrictions on Russian athletes was beyond unacceptable and had reached a “new low,” the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said Wednesday.
“It goes beyond anything that is acceptable. To link the president (Germany’s Thomas Bach), his nationality and the Holocaust in the context of this issue reaches a new low,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said.
The IOC on Tuesday both barred Russian athletes from taking part in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics on July 26 and criticized the Kremlin for planning to hold its own “Friendship Games” to rival those held in the French capital.
Those decisions invoked the ire of the Kremlin, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova saying that they “demonstrate how far the IOC has moved away from its stated principles and slipped into racism and neo-Nazism.”
When Bach was asked about the comments, the German gave a curt reply before asking spokesman Adams to take over.
There are “more quotes coming from Russia that are extremely aggressive and since some of them are very personal also, if you allow I would like to ask Mark Adams to respond to this question,” Bach said.
Adams added: “We’ve seen some very aggressive statements coming out of Russia today, but there’s one comment even which is going beyond that, we’ve even seen one that links the president, his nationality and the Holocaust, and this is completely unacceptable and reaches a new low.”
IOC says ‘aggressive’ Russia criticism a ‘new low’
https://arab.news/ztyhw
IOC says ‘aggressive’ Russia criticism a ‘new low’
- “To link the president (Germany’s Thomas Bach), his nationality and the Holocaust in the context of this issue reaches a new low,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams said
- When Bach was asked about the comments, the German gave a curt reply before asking spokesman Adams to take over
FIA president praises Saudi Arabia boost of Dakar Rally
- Mohammed Ben Sulayem will attend the climax of the 48th edition at the weekend
DUBAI: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has praised Saudi Arabia for helping the Dakar Rally emerge as one of the world’s top events, and boosting the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
Ben Sulayem will attend the 48th edition of the legendary race as it reaches its climax at the weekend.
The opening round of the championship has attracted a record 72 entries. It will also mark the launch of the new FIA Master Drivers’ Championship, and the entry of Defender as a new manufacturer.
Ben Sulayem will be welcomed on Friday by Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.
The FIA president, who will speak at the closing ceremony on Saturday evening, said the event “continues to go from strength to strength.”
He added that the race now has a “record numbers of entries, new manufacturers, and ever-increasing competition in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, reflecting the continued global growth of motorsport.”
He thanked Prince Khalid and the federation “for hosting another outstanding event and delivering a truly world-class experience for competitors, fans, and all those involved.”
Joining Ben Sulayem on his visit will be Malcolm Wilson, the FIA’s deputy president for sport.
“The 2026 edition of the Dakar Rally continues to showcase both the growth of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and the strength of Cross-Country rallying as a whole,” said Wilson.
He added that it was “encouraging to see three manufacturers – Toyota, Dacia and Ford – all increasing their presence,” and welcomed Defender in the Stock category.
