The IOC Executive Board today announced that athletes who show support for the war in Ukraine should be banned by International Federations and that Russia will not be allowed to compete in team events at next year's Olympic Games in Paris. 

In order to prevent pro-war sentiments at events, it has also urged organisers to suspend offending athletes from future competitions.

Furthermore, athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian militaries or national security agencies are set to be prevented from competing at international events. 

Pozdnyakov, a four-time Olympic gold medallist in fencing, had last year encouraged Russian athletes to fight in the war against Ukraine. 

"The position announced today on the non-admission to international competitions of Russian athletes who are registered in the military and law enforcement agencies or have contractual relations with them is no longer just another chapter in the list of gross discriminatory sanctions, which was recently stated directly by Alexandra Xanthaki, UN (United Nations) Special Rapporteur in the field of rights," he told Russia's official state news agency TASS.

"We believe that this criterion lays the foundation for an internal conflict in Russian sports.

"It has the direct goal of splitting the communities of Russian athletes, dividing them into acceptable and the rest.

"The decision is a farce, the basic principles of the Olympic Charter are violated.

"The ROC will continue contacts with colleagues from Lausanne.

"The announced parameters are absolutely unacceptable."

The IOC also announced that the sanctions imposed in February 2022 following Russia's invasion of Ukraine should remain in place.

These include that no international sports competitions should be organised in the two countries, no national symbols whatsoever should be displayed, and no Government or state officials should be admitted to events.

A final recommendation that Pozdynakov has taken issue with regards team sports and team events in individual sports.

It states that "teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered".

At the re-arranged 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Russia won 21 medals in team sports and events, including seven golds.

These included the team event in artistic swimming and the women's artistic team all-around in gymnastics.

"As for team disciplines, there is discrimination on the basis of a passport," Pozdnyakov said. 

"This makes it impossible for almost 30 percent of athletes to compete."

Russia's former Sports Minister and two-time Olympic ice hockey gold medallist Viacheslav Fetisov joined in the condemnation of today's IOC decision.

"Such recommendations violate sports principles, some pretexts that are not related to sports have been sucked out of the finger," he told TASS. 

"People have been deprived of their dream, this is a violation of both rights and all universal principles. 

"They must respect the laws of the countries in which athletes train."

Russian national gymnastics team head coach Valentina Rodionenko has also shared her outrage at the latest developments.

"What Bach proposed is impossible," she said, as reported by Sport24.

"This is impossible!

"How do they imagine it?

"Absurd!

"No [Russian] sports federation will agree to participate in the Olympics with such conditions.

"They invite athletes to participate as outcasts.

"You don't have to agree to this."