Russia's Bosco, official clothes supplier to International Olympic Committee, wants brand disassociated from Winter Olympics

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia's Bosco, the exclusive supplier of clothing to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from next year, will ask the IOC not to use its brand at the forthcoming Winter Olympics, Mikhail Kusnirovich, board head for the group, told Reuters.

(Reuters)

In an interview on Wednesday, Kusnirovich said that he took the decision because of the IOC's decision to ban Russia from the Games which are due to take place in Pyeongchang, South Korea in February.

The IOC banned Russia after saying it had found evidence of an "unprecedented systematic manipulation" of the anti-doping system, an allegation Moscow denies. The IOC left the door open for clean athletes to compete as neutrals however.

"I think that in the near future, I will come up with a proposal to the IOC... to deactivate our rights... Even such beautiful chic clothes - let them keep them, but the Bosco brand and what we own... I will ask for that not to be activated."

Bosco won the rights to be the exclusive supplier to the IOC last year. Kusnirovich, also the founder of the group, said that his company had already supplied all the clothes to the IOC for the upcoming Games.

(Reporting by Katya Golubkova; Editing by Andrew Osborn)