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Moscow Says Calls to Ban Russian Athletes from Olympics ‘Unacceptable’

The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 17, 2022. (Reuters)
The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 17, 2022. (Reuters)
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Moscow Says Calls to Ban Russian Athletes from Olympics ‘Unacceptable’

The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 17, 2022. (Reuters)
The Olympic rings are pictured in front of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland, May 17, 2022. (Reuters)

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Saturday that calls from ministers of more than 30 countries to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics were unacceptable, TASS news agency reported.

A group of 35 countries, including the United States, Germany and Australia, will demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Olympics, Lithuania's sports minister said on Friday, deepening the uncertainty over the Paris Games.

The move cranks up the pressure on an International Olympic Committee (IOC) that is desperate to avoid the sporting event being torn asunder by the conflict unfolding in Ukraine.

"This is a direct interference of ministers in the activities of independent international sports organizations, an attempt to dictate the conditions for the participation of athletes in international competitions, which is absolutely unacceptable," Matytsin was quoted as saying by TASS.

The IOC has opened the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals.

It has said a boycott would violate the Olympic Charter and that its inclusion of Russians and Belarusians was based on a United Nations resolution against discrimination within the Olympic movement.

"Now we see an undisguised desire to destroy the unity of international sports and the international Olympic movement, to make sport a means of pressure to resolve political issues," Matytsin was quoted as saying.

The RIA Novosti news agency also reported that Matytsin described as "humiliating" a proposal by Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk to create a team of refugees that would include Russian and Belarusian dissidents.

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Verstappen Not Happy with Tsunoda-Lawson Red Bull Swap

Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
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Verstappen Not Happy with Tsunoda-Lawson Red Bull Swap

Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP
Max Verstappen tells reporters at Suzuka that it was "not a mistake" that he put a "like" on a social media post criticizing Red Bull's driver switch. Toshifumi KITAMURA / AFP

Max Verstappen confirmed Thursday he was unhappy with Red Bull's ruthless driver swap for the Japanese Grand Prix, saying his endorsement of a social media post criticizing the move "speaks for itself".

The four-time world champion has a new teammate at Suzuka after Yuki Tsunoda replaced the underperforming Liam Lawson two weeks into the Formula One season.

Red Bull have been criticized for not giving Lawson enough time, with former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde saying on social media that the move was "bullying, or a panic move".

Verstappen put a "like" on Van der Garde's post and told reporters that it was "not a mistake".

"I liked the comment, the text, so I guess it speaks for itself, right?" Verstappen said at the Suzuka Circuit,

"Everything has been shared with the team, how I think about everything.

"Sometimes it's not necessary to always share and say everything in public. I think it's better."

Lawson had been promoted from Red Bull's sister team RB at the end of last season and now returns, with Tsunoda going the other way, AFP said.

Lawson's two races for Red Bull, in Melbourne and Shanghai, were at tracks on which he had never raced before.

"I think for rookies, always at the beginning of the season, you have the calendar nowadays, and F1 is very tough," said Verstappen.

"Because most of the tracks, they haven't really driven on, or they maybe have a sprint weekend.

"So all these scenarios, they don't help."

Verstappen is second in the drivers' championship, eight points behind Lando Norris of McLaren, after finishing second in Australia and fourth in China.

McLaren won both GPs and clearly have a performance edge over a Red Bull regarded as tricky to drive, but Verstappen has won the Japanese Grand Prix for the last three years.

"I think our main issue is that our car is not where we want it to be," Verstappen said.

"I think everyone knows that within the team as well, and that's what I focus on, to be honest."