Putin slammed the lengthy ban given to Russian Olympian Evgeny Rylov for attending a pro-war rally, calling his case 'absurdity'

• Russia has become a pariah in the world of sport following the invasion of Ukraine.
• Olympic gold medalist Evgeny Rylov is one of many Russian athletes banned from competing.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, the world of sports has sought to distance itself from the country, putting in place restrictions and bans on Russian athletes taking part in international events.

The two most prominent bans have been Wimbledon's exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian athletes in 2022, and the saga of Olympic swimmer Evgeny Rylov.

Rylov was banned by the International Swimming Federation (FINA) last week over his attendance at a rally hosted by President Vladimir Putin to drum up support for the invasion of Ukraine.

This week, Putin invited to the Kremlin a number of medalists from last year's Summer Olympics in Tokyo, and the Winter Games, held in February in Beijing.

During the meeting, which saw Putin pose for photos with the likes of controversial teenage figure skater Kamila Valieva, Putin decried what he called the "absurdity" of bans placed on athletes like Rylov since the invasion, still euphemistically referred to as a "special operation" in Russia.

"We called for the cleansing of sports from politics, which turns sport into [a form of] manipulation. We are being met with cases that are brought to the point of absurdity," Putin said, per a report from state news outlet RT.

"Recently, the International Swimming Federation suspended Evgeny Rylov for nine months for attending a concert in honor of the reunification of Crimea with Russia.

"Such approaches remain a problem for sport. All this is obvious to Russia."

Rylov — who won the 100- and 200-meter backstroke at Tokyo — was banned after he was pictured at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium alongside a number of other Olympic medalists during a March event to bolster support for the war. He was seen with his two gold medals from Tokyo and wearing the nationalist "Z" symbol.

He has been critical of the response to his attendance, saying, after being dropped by his main sponsor, that he was targeted because he is, in his own words, the "world face of swimming."

At his meeting with Russian athletes, Putin also praised Valieva, who drew international attention when news that she had failed a drug test came to light during the Beijing Olympics. The 15-year-old Valieva, who was the favorite to win individual skating gold, fell multiple times during her final skate after weeks of intense scrutiny.

The Russian president said that Valieva acting "dishonestly" could not account for her stellar performances, suggesting that he does not believe accusations of doping against her and her team.

"Such perfection cannot be achieved dishonestly, with the help of some additional means, manipulations ... We understand and know this very well," he said, per a report from the AFP.

"The whole country, figure skating fans all over the world, were especially worried about Kamila," he added.