Russian Olympic Committee president hits out at IOC after top athletes excluded

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The president of the Russian Olympic Committee has indicated that the country could boycott qualifying competitions in fencing for next year’s Paris Games after some athletes were barred from competing. One of them was his own daughter. The International Olympic Committee recommends letting competitors from Russia and Belarus compete as neutral athletes without national symbols after the invasion of Ukraine. The IOC still wants exclusions for athletes employed by the military or security services. ROC president Stanislav Pozdnyakov says the criteria amount to a “farce” and are discriminatory.