IOC refuses to comment on Russia's statement regarding agreements with Coventry

According to glavcom.ua: The International Olympic Committee refused to comment on the statement of the head of the Higher Council of the Handball Federation of Russia, Sergey Shishkarev, regarding the organization's leader, Kirsty Coventry. This was reported by 'Glavkom'.

Shishkarev claimed that the president of the International Handball Federation, Hasan Mustafa, told him about agreements with Coventry regarding the return of Russian handball teams to international competitions.

'Hasan Mustafa assures me that a vote is not necessary because there is an agreement with Coventry that from July 2026 we will be allowed,' Shishkarev stated.

The journalists from 'Glavkom' addressed the IOC with several questions:

• How can the IOC comment on this information?
• Can the IOC refute or confirm the information regarding the statement of the IOC president Kirsty Coventry mentioned in the quote?

However, the IOC refused to respond to the questions, advising to contact the International Handball Federation.

Participation of Russian athletes in a propaganda event

Recall that Russian speed skater Alexandra Sutyina, who was recognized as a neutral athlete by the International Skating Union (ISU), attended the annual address of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to the Federal Assembly.

On February 29, 2024, Sutyina attended Putin's annual address to the Federal Assembly. Another supporter of Putin, Russian skier Veronika Stepanova, published a photo on Instagram about Sutyina's participation in the propaganda event. The Russian speed skater can also be seen in the video broadcast of the event. Together with the neutral athlete Sutyina, associates of Putin and Russian servicemen who participated in the war against Ukraine also took part in the propaganda event.

Participation in such events is a gross violation of the IOC's recommendations regarding neutral athletes.

The IOC refused to comment on the statement of the head of the Higher Council of the Handball Federation of Russia regarding the possible return of Russian handball teams to international competitions, assuring that this situation should be considered separately and it may be appropriate to contact the relevant sports federations.