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Story summary
- President Vladimir Putin called the former International Olympic Committee leadership “shameful” and “cowardly” at a Kremlin ceremony.
- He urged new IOC president Kirsty Coventry to move beyond bans imposed after Russia’s 2022 invasion.
- The IOC now permits Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals at the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.
- Putin praised the Russian Paralympic team’s third-place finish in Italy, saying it reflected skill and determination, not team size.
