On February 28, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from major competitions due to their involvement in the invasion of Ukraine, which breached the Olympic Truce - a peace pact that spans across the period from before the Olympic Games until after the Paralympics.

"We believe it to be important not to severe contacts with International Federations, to continue the dialogue and maintain diplomatic channels," said Matytsin according to Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"We hope that this period will not be long, it is important to preserve bridges in order to reach the regular level on cooperation in line with the tournaments' calendar.

"China has been and remains our main partner."

Matytsin was subject to sanctions before the IOC action, as he was forced to step down as the President of the International University Sports Federation (FISU) due to sanctions given out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Russia.

CAS halved the initial ban made by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) from four to two years, meaning Russia are competing under neutral banners, anthems and colours from December 2020 to December 2022.

Other sanctions - which are a result of state-sponsored doping in the country - include a ban on hosting major sporting events or bidding for future events during this period.

Matytsin had to step down from his role at FISU as the CAS ruling did not allow anyone within the Russian Government to hold any position at an international governing body that is a signatory to the WADA Code.