Borzov, born in the Ukrainian city of Sambir, competed for the Soviet Union and won 100 and 200 metres titles at Munich 1972.

The former head of National Olympic Committee of Ukraine has been IOC member since 1994 but now faces a conflict after the global organisation announced it was looking for a pathway for Russia and Belarus' return to global sport.

"I would like to address this question not from a political point of view but with human values," the 73-year-old Borzov told The Sunday Times in an interview.

"We should first ask the population of Ukraine how they would feel about athletes meeting Russian and Belarusian athletes in their everyday actions, in the canteen, on the podium, how they would feel after that returning to Ukraine, to their destroyed hometowns and cities, where the kidnapping and raping of women took place, where the Russians are threatening them with dirty bombs and are desecrating their country.

"It is quite understandable from the human point of view and the answer is very clear: it is advisable for the Russian and Belarusian athletes to wait for their participation in the Olympic Games until the end of the war. 

"I am stating my opinion quite openly, I adhere to human values, and I am voicing my position even if it is in disagreement with the IOC.

"I am a citizen of Ukraine. 

"I can take no other view."

When the Russian invasion began on February 24 last year, Borzov decided to remain in Kyiv and not uproot his life.

"It was a hard decision [to stay] but I had an intuition that allowed me to believe that we'd be safe," he told The Sunday Times.

"Thomas Bach and Christophe De Kepper offered their help, for which I was very grateful, but I decided to stay at home and not lose what I've gained during my entire lifetime."

Borzov is married to former Russian gymnast and four-time Olympic champion Ludmilla Tourischeva.

The invasion has put a divide through his family.

"For example, with Ludmilla, her relatives and family are from Rostov [in Russia]," Borzov told The Sunday Times.

"Now, when I’m on a call with people based in countries at war with us, there’s no common understanding that these relationships are coming to an end.

"Some are completely in support of the war and others cannot allow themselves to speak freely, and it is the latter group that worries me the most."

There is considerable opposition to the IOC's change of stance, after it recommended a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes last year.

A resolution passed last week by the European Parliament condemned the IOC.

The motion was adopted with 444 votes in favour, 26 against and 37 abstentions.

It stated that allowing competitors from the two countries to participate, as neutrals or not, "runs counter to those countries' multifaceted isolation and will be used by both regimes for propaganda purposes."