Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday stated that a continued ban on Russian athletes will "bury" the Olympic movement, before making a case for separating global sports events from the geopolitical happenings of the world.
"I have always said that athletes have been training for years, and we must give them the opportunity to perform at major competitions, including the Olympic Games," Putin said in a televised public event in Moscow.
Putin also asserted that despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) not allowing Russian athletes to represent their nation at sporting competitions, everybody knew who they were and their country's name.
"Everyone knows this is our flag or not, everyone knows that this is our athlete," Putin added.
He pointed out that the IOC could be planning to "cut off" promising athletes from the Eurasian sovereign state from their national teams or their motherland.
Putin mentioned that if it turned out to be the case, then Russian athletes would be urged not to feature in such tournaments.
Also, the Russian leader spoke about how sponsors were interfering in the functioning of international sports organisations, a reference to Western companies that have sided with their governments in condemning Russia for its special military operation in Ukraine.
"Today's international [sports] officials have got carried away with the business side of sport movements. They have become very dependent on sponsors, and the sponsors pay attention to the price of one minute's advertising on the television. There are a lot of internal problems. If they act that way further, they will bury the Olympic movement," Putin observed.