The International Olympic Committee have hit back at the British Government claimed it would be the 'end of world sport' if governments dictated whether Russian athletes were allowed to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine last February, sporting athletes from the Eastern European country and neighbouring Belarus have faced a whole host of sanctions. Sportsmen and women have been forced to compete under a neutral flag, with some even being banned from competing in their field.
Amid the ongoing war, there have been calls for these sanctions to continue, especially at next summer's Olympic Games in the French capital.
30 countries including the UK have stood in solidarity with those in Ukraine, and have made their stance clear in banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing. Amid the debate the IOC have since hit back, calling on Rishi Sunak's Government to 'respect the autonomy of sport'.
This comes after Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer wrote to sponsors urging them to back a ban on athletes from both countries.
The IOC statement said: "It is not up to Governments to decide which athletes can participate in which international competitions. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today.
"We hope very much that the British Government will respect the autonomy of sport, which it has emphasised in so many decisions, statements and UN resolutions." One of sport's biggest events to ban those from Russia and Belarus came at last month's Wimbledon - a banning the UK Government once again called for.
The ban did come at a cost though, as the ATP Tour stripped the event at SW19 of its ranking points. It remains unknown as to whether tournament bosses will do the same this year, with the IOC admitting they themselves will be keeping an eye on the decision.
They added: "Just last weekend we saw a Ukrainian player winning the WTA tournament in Austin, Texas, in a final against a player with a Russian passport. In this context, we are following with great interest the discussion around the participation of players with Russian or Belarusian passports at Wimbledon."
Mirror Sport have approached the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport for comment.
