OREANDA-NEWS The Ministry of Sports of Russia will demand a refund and compensation for canceled international competitions in the country due to the events in Ukraine. This was stated at the meeting of the board by the Minister of Sports Oleg Matytsin, reports TASS.

"We are going through one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult period of our interaction with the international sports community. From our point of view, the recommendations of the IOC and the decisions of international federations are inadequate and politicized," Matytsin said.

According to him, now the main task is to calmly and without emotion evaluate the legal side. "After the termination of contracts, the task is to provide a refund or compensation," he added.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a "special operation" by Russian troops in Ukraine, the purpose of which he called the protection of the local population from "genocide".

After the start of the special operation, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended suspending Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions due to the situation in Ukraine.

Due to sanctions, athletes from Russia were not allowed to participate in a number of major competitions, and many tournaments scheduled in Russia were also canceled.

In particular, the Champions Football League final, the Volleyball World Championship, the Formula 1 Grand Prix stage, and the World Chess Olympiad were postponed. The Russian national football and hockey teams will not be able to play at the World Championships, Russian clubs are banned from participating in European competitions.