Russian President Vladimir Putin fuelled the row over judging standards at the Winter Olympics today, saying he agreed that officials at the Games were biased.
According to French sports daily L'Equipe, Putin was quoted as saying, "certain things have surprised us, and not just things that have gone against Russian athletes."
"I was astonished to learn that the IOC signed a contract with the NHL (North American National Hockey League) according to which only NHL referees could act as referees in the Olympic Games' ice hockey championship," Putin said.
"How can they guarantee a correct and impartial judgement if they live and work in North America," he asked.
Asked whether he thought the Olympic judges were biased after a series of controversial decisions prompted talk of a Russian boycott, the sports-mad president replied: "I wholeheartedly and completely agree that that is the case."
Speaking as a "citizen," the Kremlin boss expressed hope that the IOC leadership would "manage to cope with these difficulties" which he attributed to the transfer of power last July from 81-year-old Juan Antonio Samaranch to Jacques Rogge.
"Samaranch left, Rogge arrived, and for the IOC leadership the first outing has been a flop," the Russian leader said, adding: "The commercialisation of the Olympic movement is contrary to the Olympic principle.
Earlier the Russian government's deputy chief of staff, Alexei Volin, said the national team would be justified in returning early from the Winter Olympics over the unfair treatment they believe they have received at the hands of the IOC.
Putin went on to caution restraint in the face of what he called "biased judgments," adding: "Let's see how the Olympic Games end."
AFP