MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision on the Russian national team not participating in the 2018 Winter Olympics looks like an element of an ideological war against Russia, Nicolas Dhuicq, a French politician and member of The Republicans party, told Sputnik on Wednesday.
"I think there is no proof for the moment that something was planned at a higher level of the state in Russia. I understand that this is a game with the same idea of waging an ideological war against Russia and a strategy of containment. When you are unable to succeed in military containment, you use ideological containment instead," Dhuicq said.
The politician added that the decision of the IOC was "utterly unjust" to the Russian athletes, who have been deprived of their right to compete under their national flag.
"In fact, many other countries are using drugs but in a way so that they cannot be detected. It is a hypocritical and unfair decision because it is vexing to all Russians," he added.
READ MORE: IOC's Russian Athlete Ban Brings Cold War to Sports – Hockey Club Deputy Chief
On Tuesday, the IOC Executive Board suspended the Russian National Olympic Committee over the "systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system, allowing selected Russian athletes to compete in the 2018 Olympic Games only under the Olympic Flag.
The decision of the IOC to prohibit the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games 2018 under the flag of country may be contested in the Sports Arbitration Court (CAS), which is located in Lausanne, Switzerland.