The country wants to host the global showpiece again, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev has said

Russia intends to bid to host the Olympic Games again when the global political climate permits, Sports Minister Mikhail Degtyarev has said.

The country has already hosted the Games twice - the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. However, Russia has been excluded from numerous major global sporting events since the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in 2022.

"Of course, we will apply [for the Games] in the future, and we can host [them] at the highest level - we've already proven that twice," said Degtyarev, who also serves as president of the Russian Olympic Committee. "Sooner or later, all relations will be restored. We'll pave the way to the Olympics again, and I'm confident we'll bid for both the Winter and Summer Games," Degtyarev told reporters on Thursday.

The minister pointed to the 2018 FIFA World Cup as further proof of Russia's sporting credentials, recalling how fans from around the world celebrated in cities across the country. "People still remember how friendly Russia was," he noted.

Degtyarev condemned what he described as discrimination against Russian athletes, who have been barred from participating under their national flag in numerous sports, including at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

"What do the Olympics teach us? There should be no boycotts. The Olympic movement must unite people. Today's discrimination against our athletes based on nationality is wrong. We must move past this," Degtyarev stated.

Most recently, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned Russian ice hockey teams from the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Moscow has vowed to challenge the decision.

Russian officials have repeatedly accused Western nations of politicizing sport and exerting pressure on sports federations to exclude Russian athletes for political reasons.

Moscow has branded the IOC sanctions a perversion of the Olympic Charter, which is supposed to keep the Games free of political interference.

(RT.com)