International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has warned sport federations cannot succumb to government influence to sanction athletes based on their country of origin in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “We need the respect of the governments for our role,” Bach said when addressing the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) general assembly in Lausanne late Wednesday, according to the InsideTheGames portal. “Look at our friends from tennis, in Paris, Russian players can play as neutral athletes, in London, at Wimbledon, the Government is saying no wa…