The head of the IOC, at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, recommended that international federations limit the participation of athletes from aggressor countries, but very quickly changed his position.

Already, he has criticized the organizers of Wimbledon for banning tennis players from Russia and Belarus from competing in the tournament.. According to him, this violates the principle of "

" And if we allow it, if we're in it too, then we've lost..

How can we then guarantee a fair international tournament in sport when governments decide, based on their political interests, who can and who can't compete If we open this door, now it is Russia and Belarus, and tomorrow it is your country. There is no country in the world that is loved by the whole world. This is contrary to the principles on which we stand.. If we let governments decide this, then we become a political tool and cannot guarantee more honesty,"

Wimbledon became the first international tennis tournament to ban Russians and Belarusians from participating in individual competitions. The tournament will take place from June 27 to July 10 in the London suburb of Wimbledon..

International tennis organizations - ATP, WTA and ITF - deprived Wimbledon-2022 of rating points due to the non-admission of players from Russia and Belarus to the tournament.