Kremlin says IOC rules on Russian participation are discriminatory

FILE PHOTO: A view shows the Olympic Rings in front of the Olympic House, headquarters of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), during the executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), in Lausanne, Switzerland, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse

(Reuters) -The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the International Olympic Committee's guidelines that allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions as neutrals contain "elements of discrimination".

Athletes from Russia and Belarus, Moscow's ally, were banned from most international competitions last year over the Ukraine war, but guidelines issued by the Lausanne-based IOC on Tuesday seek to allow for their gradual return to world sport.