Russia won't rule out the possibility of bidding to host the Olympic Games in the country's Far East, President Vladimir Putin said on Friday, after the mayor of Vladivostok announced the city's hopes to stage the 2036 renewal.
However, the president noted that other problems might get in the way of a successful application, expressing the view that Russia's full participation in major international competitions is more dependent on politics than Moscow's own actions.
"I hope that the principles of Olympism will not be perverted, including that there will be no impurities of a political nature," Putin told Vladivostok's Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). "In that case, we can't rule out holding the Olympic Games in the Russian Federation. And in the Far East, Vladivostok is one of the most promising venues."
His comments came a day after Vladivostok Mayor Konstantin Shestakov said that the city plans to apply to host the 2036 summer games. According to him, this will lead to new infrastructure investment that improves life in the city.
Also on rt.com Moving out of Moscow? Relocating Russian capital wouldn't be death sentence for Europe's largest city, state development boss saysRussian athletes are currently forbidden to use the Russian name, flag, or anthem, due to claims by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) that data provided by the Russian Anti-Doping Agency had been manipulated to hide a state-sponsored doping scheme. WADA's sanctions will be in force until December 2022. Moscow has denied any such activity and calls the decision politically motivated.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!