Levitin, a Presidential aide of Vladimir Putin since 2013 having previously acted as Russia’s Minister of Transport from 2004 to 2012, claims that “events in recent months show that there is no right and spirit in sports” and alleges that there have been “obvious violations” of the Olympic Charter.

His comment comes as a growing number of sporting organisations impose sanctions on Russia and Belarus in response to the widely-condemned invasion of Ukraine.

Numerous International Federations have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing, pushing the two nations into the sporting wilderness.

A two-day forum, called "We are together. Sport" started in Moscow today where Levitin joined other key Russian sporting officials to address challenges facing the country.

Levitin, President of the European Table Tennis Union until he stepped aside temporarily earlier this month, believes Russia needs to return to the sporting model that was in place during the eye of the Soviet Union that collapsed in 1991.

"Holding this forum is a very important event, where sports industry workers can discuss the most pressing problems caused by sanctions," said Levitin in a report by Russia’s official state news agency TASS.

"The events of recent months show that there is no right and spirit in sports today.

"There are obvious violations of the Olympic Charter, which indicates the prohibition of any discrimination.

"All these infringements say that we need to return to the origins of domestic sports - Soviet.

"During the Soviet era, our sports experienced similar sanctions, but, in spite of everything, Soviet sports have always been at a high level.

"At the present time, international sports are controlled not so much by officials

"How many advertising companies that manage our athletes.

"We need to return to the system that was in the Soviet Union, there is nothing wrong with that.

"This will bring us self-sufficiency."

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said that the Sports Ministries of Russia and Belarus held a meeting on the eve of the Forum where they "developed a specific plan of action".

Matytsin claimed that the country would create a sporting system that would set the standards.

"We will also follow the rules established in sports, we will wait for relaxations, or we will focus on our own resources, and, using the Soviet experience, we will understand in which directions our sport should develop," he told the conference.

"I think the answer is obvious.

"We will understand where our shortcomings were and, together with partners, we will develop a system that will define the standards for all sports.

"I think it's time to be more active, to shape our vision for the future of the community."

"We are together. Sport" was used as the slogan for Russia’s replacement event for the Beijing 2022 Paralympics Games this month.

Russian and Belarusian athletes took part in the five-day event in the Siberian city of Khanty-Mansiysk after being barred from competing at the Games in Beijing.

"The foundation of sports is our athletes, they are more vulnerable than ever," added ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov.

"In this case, it is necessary to create all conditions for full-fledged training, competitions. the heart of the Olympic movement, and if this is not understood in the West, we will demonstrate it in Russia."