World sports are tired of the West’s politicized campaign against Russian athletes. This opinion was expressed in an interview with TASS published today, July 30, by the director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin.
“In the sports world, it seems to us, tiredness has already accumulated from this politicized Western campaign against world sports and, in particular, biased and politicized pressure on Russian athletes, athletes,” he said.
“The world more and more understands and feels that the main damage caused by the politicization of sports has been done to the reputation of international organizations, which are in many ways the conductors of this policy. First of all, I mean the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has significantly lost its potential. Quite a significant damage has been done to the authority of this organization. So we are confident that the Beijing Olympics will take place and it will be a great sport and a celebration of peace”, he said.
The head of the SVR expressed regret over the attacks on the upcoming Olympics in Beijing, which is due to take place in 2022.
“I also recall such unfounded attacks by former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who at the beginning of the year announced that Beijing would try to divert the attention of the world community from internal repression. In addition, as you know, the US Congress has several initiatives calling on the world community to declare an economic and diplomatic boycott of the Olympics. However, the history of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia and the World Football Championship, which took place in Russia in 2018, shows that such politicized attempts to spoil a sports festival for the world sports community can and should be put up with obstacles”, Naryshkin concluded.