The judge of the international category on Greco-Roman wrestling, Sergei Novakovski, called the IOC a private bench.

"I have judged 16 world championships and I know what it means to take the Olympics from children who are in sports for 15-20 years and for them the peak is a gold Olympic medal. IOC is a private shop that makes decisions on the principle I want to admit, I do not want. I want to admit Anton Shipulin, I do not want. You can not act without a flag and the Motherland, "he commented..

Novakovsky also noted that many sports from Russia are "not the first numbers, but still they show a spirit".

Recall that in late 2017, the IOC suspended Russian athletes from participating in the Olympics in South Korea because of a doping scandal. Now, "pure athletes" perform at the Olympics under the neutral flag.