George Simion wanted to change the name of AUR Alliance – the Central Electoral Bureau rejected the request – Ziarul Profit

Russia accused International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Tuesday of participating in a “conspiracy” with Ukraine to exclude its most valuable athletes from this year’s Paris Olympics.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made the allegation after two Russian comedians known as Vovan and Lexus released a recording of a conversation with Thomas Bach in which the IOC president was made to believe he was speaking with an African sports official, reports Reuters and Agerpres.

Thomas Bach said in this conversation that the IOC has established a special group to monitor the media and the Internet and to ensure that Russian athletes who have made political statements in support of their government cannot take part in the Olympics.

“We have also proposed to the Ukrainian side — not only proposed, but asked — to provide us with their knowledge of the behavior of such Russian athletes or officials,” Bach could be heard saying in English on the recording. .

Zaharova wants “thorough investigation”

Zakharova posted on Telegram that Bach “entered into a political-administrative and, apparently, criminal conspiracy with a certain party,” i.e. Ukraine, “to exclude strong sports competitors from international competitions.”

“IOC President Bach’s relationship with the Ukrainian Olympic Committee and its officials and the acknowledgment of a ‘request to monitor Russian athletes’ should be the subject of a thorough investigation,” she added.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus, special conditions for participation in the 2024 Olympics

Relations between Russia and the IOC have deteriorated significantly in the run-up to the Olympics, where Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete as neutrals, without flags and anthems, because of the war in Ukraine. Also, these athletes were banned from participating in the opening ceremony.

On March 21, the IOC flagged a new incident in Russia’s disinformation campaign launched against it. “The fake calls claiming to be from the African Union Commission appear to have been made by the same group that has already attacked several world political leaders and other high-ranking figures in a similar manner,” the IOC said in a brief statement at the time.

The IOC has announced the establishment of a commission to assess the eligibility of every Russian or Belarusian athlete who qualifies for the Paris Olympics.

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