In a heated exchange, Russian officials have criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC), claiming that its actions against Russian athletes and its disapproval of the Moscow-organized Friendship Games amount to "neo-Nazism".

The IOC recently made decisions barring Russian athletes from participating in the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics and voiced concerns over Moscow's plans to hold its own Friendship Games parallel to the Paris event.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, expressed outrage, stating, "These decisions show how the IOC has departed from its principles and veered into racism and neo-Nazism."

Russia was suspended from the 2024 Games but allowed its athletes to compete neutrally, provided they did not overtly support Russia's actions in Ukraine. Zakharova argued that this neutral status forces Russian athletes to disassociate from their homeland, culture, and people.

The Kremlin has planned the Friendship Games as an alternative event, with the first edition scheduled for September in Moscow and Yekaterinburg. The IOC has urged countries and athletes to abstain from participating, although it hasn't imposed sanctions on those who choose to attend.

The Kremlin has criticized the IOC's stance, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov calling it "intimidation of athletes" and undermining the IOC's credibility.

Tensions between Russia and the IOC have been ongoing due to a doping scandal that resulted in Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag in the 2020 Tokyo Games. The IOC also cited concerns raised by the World Anti-Doping Agency regarding doping at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

Amidst the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, athletes from both Russia and Belarus will compete in the Paris Olympics as "Individual Neutral Athletes".

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