Stanislav Pozdnyakov, a former lieutenant colonel in the Russian Army, announced today that, to mark CSKA’s centenary, the ROC had awarded them with its Badge of Honour "For Merits in the Development of the Olympic Movement in Russia".

He attended a special presentation to give military officers the award a day after Russia fired more than 20 cruise missiles and two drones at targets in Ukraine.

Almost all of them killed were hit when two missiles slammed into an apartment building in Uman during a terrifying early morning attack, Kyiv officials said. 

Three children were among the dead.

As part of the ceremony, the insignia and "gratitude" of the ROC were also awarded to the leaders of CSKA, formed in 1923 as the Central Army Sports Club and which remains a department of the Russian Defence Ministry. 

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last month recommended that a ban on Russian athletes competing should be lifted in time for Paris 2024, but specifically ruled that anyone within links to the military or security forces should not be eligible to return.

That has not stopped the Olympic four-time gold medallist, who last year urged Russian athletes to fight in the war against Ukraine, from presenting army officials with the special honour and publicly praising CSKA.

"For me, CSKA was, is and will be the leading fencing club not only in our country, but also abroad, there is no doubt about it," Pozdnyakov wrote on his Telegram channel.

According to statistics produced by CSKA, the club is active in more than 40 sports and has produced 463 Olympic gold medallists for the Soviet Union and Russia.

"The bar has always been very high," Pozdnyakov told Russia’s official state news agency TASS.

"I am very glad that this bar is not lowered and most of the most successful athletes in our country in the Olympic disciplines are representatives of CSKA."

If the IOC continues to insist that Russian athletes competing internationally should have not ties to the armed forces, then CSKA athletes will be ruled out, representing a rich seam of potential Olympics at Paris next year.

Pozdnyakov, though, is continuing to advocate a leading role for CSKA in Russian sport.

"One hundred years is a very beautiful figure, but it is rather a reason to multiply efforts, because in the conditions of the modern turbulent world we need to focus on ourselves," Pozdnyakov, currently lobbying the IOC to relax its conditions for Russian athletes to compete, told TASS.

"We need to work on ourselves and on future generations. I would like the existing club's sports infrastructure, its coaching potential worked for the future not only of the army, but of all Russian sports.

"I am sure that these turbulent times will pass, and we need to be prepared for this so that red, blue [colours of the Russian flag] is the strongest again."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has led tributes to CSKA as a series of celebrations were held in Moscow to mark the landmark.

"Today we honour the army of all generations - those who have dedicated their professional, life path to their native club, set an example of honest, selfless service to the chosen cause," Putin said in a special congratulatory message.

"In a beautiful, intense fight, you invariably demonstrate excellent training, cohesion, character and will, and you compete with strong opponents in hockey and basketball, athletics and figure skating, martial arts and many other sports."