Russia slammed a decision by the International Olympic Committee to ban its athletes from the opening parade of the Paris Olympics, while the IOC decried the country's "extremely" aggressive response that included personal attacks on the ruling body's president.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Wednesday that the decision to prohibit Russian and Belarusian athletes from the parade, announced Tuesday, was a violation of the ideal of the Games.
"This is, of course, the destruction of the idea of Olympism. This is an infringement on the interests of Olympic athletes," Peskov said. "Of course, this is absolutely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement, and this does not paint the IOC in a good light."
Referencing Peskov's comment, IOC president Thomas Bach told a news conference that the reaction was "only one quote" coming out of Russia.
"There are more quotes coming from Russia which are extremely aggressive, and since some of them are very personal, I would like to ask [IOC spokesman] Mark Adams to answer," Bach said.
Political commentators in Russia have noted Bach's German nationality and made references to the Holocaust in social media posts.
"We have seen some very aggressive statements out of Russia today. One comment goes beyond that," Adams said. "Linking the president, his nationality and the Holocaust is unacceptable and reaches a new low."
The IOC has said the decision was a logical consequence of the fact that Russia's athletes will be competing as neutral individuals and not as a team -- a measure imposed against it following the invasion of Ukraine.
The same restrictions apply to Belarus, which allowed Russia to use its territory to launch the invasion in February 2022.
The opening ceremony on July 26 will see thousands of athletes travel on boats down the River Seine for several miles toward the Eiffel Tower, instead of the normal parade of teams inside a stadium.
The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus who are approved to compete at the Olympics as neutrals will have a chance only "to experience the event" -- likely watching from near the river.
About 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports are expected to qualify for the Paris Games, the IOC said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.