The Russian Embassy in Italy criticizes Abodi: "The minister is using double standards."

Yet another attack from the Russian government on Italian institutions. "It would be desirable for the Italian authorities to refrain from making statements, through the mouths of their sports officials, who are responsible for preparing for the Olympics, that distort the meaning and significance of the task entrusted to them," the Russian Embassy in Italy wrote on its Facebook account, referring to the words of Sports Minister Andrea Abodi at the Rimini meeting.

The minister, the embassy writes, after having expressed his opposition to the exclusion of Israeli athletes from international sports competitions, stated that "Russia's exclusion, on the contrary, is justified, as Russia's actions are much more 'bloody' in nature. It is a prime example, it is claimed, of the 'double standards' of representatives of the Western establishment!"

Abodi - it reads - "answering a journalist's question about the appropriateness of excluding Israeli athletes from international sports competitions , in order to put pressure on the Israeli government ( in relation to the situation in the Gaza Strip ), declared that such a decision would be a step backwards from the primary function of sport, which is to unite and not divide. Such a statement could only be welcomed."

"Unfortunately," the post continues, "the Italian minister, as a Russian phrase goes, 'started great, ended miserably.'" Dr. Abodi contradicted himself, adding that Russia's exclusion from international sporting competitions, on the contrary, is justified, as Russia's actions are far more bloody. This is a prime example of the 'double standards' of representatives of the Western establishment!"

"It would be interesting to know," the Russian Embassy concludes, "what criteria are used in Italy to determine the bloodiness of one conflict or another. Unfortunately, the number of conflicts continues to grow. We would also like to ask how Italy evaluates the official data according to which, since the Kiev regime began the so-called 'Anti-Terrorist Operation' —in reality, a war against its own Russian-speaking population of Donbass—from 2014 to 2022, 14,000 Ukrainian civilians have died and over 500 children have been killed or maimed as a result of its actions. No one in the West has lifted a finger to force the Kiev regime to end this bloodshed, not to mention the exclusion of Ukrainian athletes from international sports competitions. On the contrary, maximum pressure has suddenly begun to be exerted on Russia, which, instead, has come to the defense of the civilian population of Donbass to end the massacre and the war."