Two-time Olympic champion Dmitry Vasiliev weighed in on remarks made by Vitold Banka, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency, regarding possible sanctions against participants in the World Friendship Games slated for Russia. Vasiliev’s account mirrors the reporting of Sports Express.
Vasiliev asserted that the actions won’t be reversed while the special military operation continues. He added that once the operation ends, the situation would reset, with life and sports returning to their familiar pace. He urged colleagues to remain calm, complete their tasks, and interpret current developments as evidence that the course being followed is correct. In his view, the concerns of outsiders have grown and their stance has hardened; friends have drifted away, and adversaries should be treated in line with that shift in relations.
At a board meeting in Montreal, the chief executive of WADA, Olivier Niggli, stated that Russia should not host the 2024 World Friendship Games, which were planned to take place roughly a month after the Paris Olympic Games. The decision was framed as a clear stance that the event is not aligned with the spirit of global sport. Earlier, the International Olympic Committee issued a warning to athletes about participating in the Friendship Games, stressing that involvement would conflict with Olympic values and the unity of the Olympic family.
The World Friendship Games are scheduled to run in Moscow and Yekaterinburg from September 15 to 29, 2024. Officials describe the event as the first major multi-sport competition to feature performances across all 25 Summer Olympic and non-Olympic sports, signaling an unprecedented scale for a gathering tied to the broader geopolitical context.
Earlier statements from Matytsin, together with the IOC and WADA, emphasized ongoing pressure on independent international and national sports bodies to align with the prevailing stance on the matter. Observers note that the broader political climate has become deeply entwined with the management and oversight of global athletic competitions, prompting questions about the future of collaboration among major sport governance organizations and national federations.