The IOC says it is “the target of a Russian disinformation campaign”

These accusations take place during a week marked by violent exchanges between Moscow and the Lausanne institution.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) reported Thursday evening March 21 “a new incident” In “Russia’s campaign of disinformation and defamation” against him, after a week marked by violent exchanges between Moscow and the Lausanne institution.

“Fake calls claiming to be from the African Union Commission appear to have been made by the same group that has previously attacked several world political leaders and other high-ranking figures in a similar manner.” , reports the IOC in a short press release.

During these calls, “a person claiming to be the President of the African Union Commission wanted to obtain arguments, particularly from the IOC, against the politicization of sport by the Russian government, in order to prepare a statement denouncing this politicization”the text continues.

A defamatory documentary

The Olympic body does not explain further what allows it to link these calls to Russian intervention, and does not designate a specific group, but recalls having revealed last November “a disinformation and defamation campaign of the same nature.”

At the time, the organization reported “alleged quotes from IOC representatives”, “added to false information” in articles “shared on Telegram accounts and other social media platforms in multiple languages.”

Early 2023, also reported by the IOC“an entire documentary was produced with defamatory content, false narration and false information, using the voice of a world-famous Hollywood actor generated by artificial intelligence”before being removed from social networks “because of its fabricated character”.