Svetlana Romashina, seven-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming, said in her speech at the Eastern Economic Forum that the World Friendship Games will be a step towards a bright future for Russian sports.
“I talk to many athletes and their morale seems to be falling. But everyone is doing well, training and believing in the best. And the Friendship Games are the beginning of our bright future,” said Romashina.
The Friendship Games will be held in Moscow and Yekaterinburg from 15 to 29 September 2024.
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.”
Previously reportedRussian President Vladimir Putin ordered that payments to Friendship Games medalists should be equal to the prize money of Olympic participants.