Coventry announced a discussion on the return of athletes from the Russian Federation to the Olympics

Kirsty Coventry, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), will discuss the possibility of returning suspended Russian athletes to the Olympic Games. She stated this on March 21 on the Sky News channel.

"Will Russia return to the Winter Games in Milan? We will discuss this with the working group," she said.

At the same time, Coventry stressed that she opposes the exclusion of athletes from participation because of the military actions carried out by their countries.

"Our responsibility is to ensure the safety of athletes during the Olympics, as well as to protect and support them. It's a difficult balance. But in the end, I believe that the best thing for our movement is to ensure that all athletes are represented," said the head of the IOC.

In the Olympic movement: how Kirsty Coventry became the new president of the IOC

The sports organization will be headed by a two-time champion of the Games in swimming from Zimbabwe.

On March 20, the International Olympic Committee announced that Coventry had become the organization's first female president. Former swimmer and two-time Olympic champion Kirsty Coventry retired from sports in 2016, but four years before that she headed the IOC Athletes' commission. She will assume the post of president of the organization on June 23 this year. On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated her on taking office.