The message reads, in part:
“The Russian Olympic movement has a long and proud history. We are proud of the victories of our athletes who have added new and outstanding pages to the victorious chronicle of the Russian and international sports and of their huge contribution to the development and promotion of Olympic ideals.
Russia’s Olympic movement is facing extremely challenging goals. The future and competitiveness of Russian high performance sports largely depend on the efficient achievement of these goals. We must regain our position in the international sports movement, work actively at international sports federations and continue to enhance the efficiency of our struggle against doping. We must also pay priority attention to developing zero tolerance of this negative factor at all stages of our athletes’ training. I would like to point out that the National Olympic Committee as the founder of the Russian anti-doping agency is responsible for attaining these goals.
I am confident that together we will overcome these hurdles and will continue to develop Russian sports to the benefit of the country and its citizens.”
The Russian Olympic Assembly, where a new National Olympic Committee President will be elected, is underway in Moscow.