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Germany is not going to boycott the Olympic Games even if they allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate

“The German team will participate, and we rule out the possibility of a boycott,” said DOSB President Thomas Weikert in an interview with the Funke Mediengruppe publishing house on Monday.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is holding a three-day board meeting starting Tuesday to discuss guidelines for what to do next with athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began more than 13 months ago, athletes from both countries have been banned from most of the world’s major sporting events.

The IOC is currently examining the possibility of allowing them to return to competition as neutral athletes with their national symbols, including at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. IOC President Thomas Bach has stated that no one should be discriminated against because of their passport or country of origin.

More than 30 countries have called on the IOC to continue banning athletes from both countries from competing while Russia continues its war in Ukraine.

The DOSB “can’t imagine the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the competition at the moment,” Weikert said.

“If the IOC decides otherwise, which seems likely, then we believe that certain conditions should apply to the athletes of these countries,” he added.

Such conditions should also include the exclusion of Russian military personnel from the competition, according to the DOSB president. Furthermore, athletes who would be allowed to compete should not be allowed to wear national symbols and colors.

The 61-year-old Weikert fears that the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics could be misused for propaganda purposes.

“Its prevention should be the primary goal,” Weikert emphasized.

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