International sporting events, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup, should not be affected by factors unrelated to sports, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping said in a joint statement Friday.
"The parties express their confidence that the FIFA World Cup, which will start in Russia in a few days, will become a global sports festival, a festival of friendship between athletes from all the continents, and believe that international sporting competitions and events should not suffer from the influence of non-sports factors," the statement said.
Russia's first FIFA World Cup will kick off on June 14 and will be held at 12 stadiums across 11 cities.
International news source
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