The Danish government finds it incomprehensible that the International Olympic Committee is considering the participation of Russian athletes in Paris in 2024.
The Danish government said on Friday that it was opposed to the presence of Russian athletes under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, judging “incomprehensiblethat the International Olympic Committee is considering despite Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
«It is Denmark’s official position – and it is my position as Minister – that we must not waver vis-à-vis Russia. The government line is clear. Russia must be banned from all international sports as long as its attacks on Ukraine continuesaid Sports Minister Jakob Engel-Schmidt.
«This also applies to Russian athletes competing under a neutral flag. It is totally incomprehensible that there are apparently doubts about this line at the IOC“said the member of the government in an interview with the Danish agency Ritzau.
The banning of Russian athletes from all international competitions”is the Danish line since Russia attacked Ukraine“, he recalled.
United States in favor
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February 2022, Russians and Belarusians have been banned from most global sporting events. Ukraine wants things to stay that way, and that Russian athletes are simply banned from competing at the 2024 Summer Olympics.
But the International Olympic Committee (IOC) set fire to the powder at the end of January, by proposing a roadmap to organize the return of banned athletes under a neutral flag, provided that they had “not actively supported the war in Ukraine».
While several countries, particularly in eastern Europe, opposed it, the United States said it was in favor on Thursday, as long as it is “absolutely clear» that the athletes do not represent the Russian or Belarusian states, nor their symbols.
The Danish and Norwegian Olympic Committees had already spoken out against this idea.
