Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered that the prize money for winning the World Friendship Games be equal to the payout for winning the Olympics. Russia’s vice president Igor Levitin explained this in an interview “Match TV”.
“The President has directed that Friendship Games medalists be considered Olympic medalists; They will receive the same payments as Olympic medalists. Remember when we were not allowed to participate in the Olympic Games, we held Friendship Games in the USSR? Everything returns to normal. This is not new for us. If a foreign athlete receives an award, he will also receive payment as an Olympic medalist,” Levitin said.
At the end of February 2022, the IOC issued a call to international sports federations and recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in any competitions.
The IOC refused to send Russia an invitation to the Olympic Games in Paris on July 26, 2023, the deadline set for this.
The decision on Russian participation in the 2024 Games has been postponed indefinitely. At the IOC press conference, Bach said the decision would be made “no later than a year before the Olympics.”
Formerly Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko condemned IOC for the return conditions of Russian athletes.