Degtyarev announced Russia's plans to apply to host the Olympics in the country

Russia intends to apply to host the third Olympic Games in the future. This was announced on Thursday, July 17, by Mikhail Degtyarev, Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation and President of the Russian Olympic Committee.

"Of course, we will apply in the future and will be able to conduct at the highest level, we have already proved this twice. Sooner or later, we will restore all relations, roll out all routes to the Olympic Games and, I am sure, we will show up for both winter and summer," TASS quoted him as saying.

He recalled that Russia has already hosted the Olympics twice — the 1980 Summer Games in Moscow and the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi.

Degtyarev also stressed that the memory of the Russian Games is carefully preserved. He added that the Olympic Movement should unite countries and peoples and that discrimination against athletes on the basis of nationality is unacceptable.

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Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on July 16 that relations between Russia and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are gradually recovering. He also expressed hope that after the restoration of relations with the IOC, SAMBO will become an Olympic sport. The Head of State called this type of martial arts democratic and spectacular and noted that there are many athletes in Russia who show very good results in SAMBO.