Olympic Games 2018: Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mutko rules out resignation

Russian Deputy Prime Minister Witali Mutko has reacted with demonstrative calmness to his lifelong ban on the Olympic Games and ruled out resignation.

“This is all of secondary importance,”said the controversial official, who proved to be responsible for the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as Sports Minister (2008 to 2016) for the comprehensive doping fraud system that reached its peak during the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

“I have my own thoughts on this,”continued Mutko in a conversation with the Russian news agency R-Sport,”but once again, the athletes are more important. Despite the overwhelming burden of proof, Mutko had always objected to the fact that there had been a government-supported doping system in Russia. A resignation is out of the question for him:”I have to stay with the athletes.”

On Tuesday, due to the doping scandal of next year’s Winter Games in Pyeongchang, Russia’s IOC (9th World Cup in Pyeongchang) was held on Tuesday. till 25. February) excluded. However, under certain conditions, Russian athletes are allowed to compete as neutral athletes.

Despite all the international criticism, Witali Mutko is still the chief organizer of next year’s World Cup in Russia. He is also President of the Russian Football Association RFS. FIFA does not see the preparations for the World Cup currently being hampered. FIFA’s Ethics Committee chief-investigator Claudia Rojas has so far been silent.