“Forcing the athletes of certain countries to compete as neutrals in international sporting events hurts national sovereignty,” Péter Szijjártó told a press conference. Hungary will support tough sanctions by international federations against athletes implicated in doping, but will always reject a collective sanctioning of their fellow citizens, Szijjártó said.

He said Hungary firmly rejects the concept of collective guilt not only in the context of politics and history, but in sports as well. Szijjártó said he discussed with Kolobkov possibilities for Hungarian companies to participate in organising major sporting events in Russia such as the FIFA World Cup and the World Boxing Championships next year.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Soós Lajos