Russian national team training for Paris Olympics, if banned from Games its own competitions to be held - deputy PM

VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 6 (Interfax) - The Russian national team is continuing preparations for the 2024 Paris Olympics, in case it is banned from the Games, alternative competitions will be held, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told Interfax.

"Definitely, [they are continuing to train]," Chernyshenko told Interfax on the sidelines of the 2022 Eastern Economic Forum in response to the relevant question.

If the national team is not allowed to compete in the Games, alternative competitions will be held, the deputy prime minister added. "As we did so with the Paralympic Games in Khanty-Mansiysk," Chernyshenko said.

"The International Olympic Committee under the pretext of its recommendations actually makes international federations restrict our athletes from participating in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024, but we are working on the program for our national teams and continue to train them despite the sanctions," Chernyshenko said.

Training is being conducted at five Russian federal training bases and regional facilities, he said.

"On the instructions of the president, we are rapidly replacing those sites where our national teams were trained, and which turned out to be in unfriendly countries. So now is the time to set them up in our country, especially in the middle mountains for endurance training," the deputy prime minister said.

"In 2022, we have more than 210 international sport competitions scheduled in 50 sports, including the Friendship Games and We're Together. Now the All-Russian Summer Sports Contest among the strongest athletes of our country is taking place from August 10 to October 2 in 39 Olympic sports - exactly the same program as at the upcoming Games in Paris," he said.

Chernyshenko noted that this is the first time the Olympics are held in this format in Russia.

"We, in general, provide our athletes with competitive activity, but at the same time we are actively enhancing cooperation with the countries that are friendly to us, especially with the BRICS countries, as well as with the member states of the SCO [Shanghai Cooperation Organization], the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States], and a large number of competitions in these areas are certainly held," the deputy prime minister said.