Russian athletes should be present in Paris next summer. This Friday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized the participation in the 2024 Olympic Games of Russian and Belarusian athletes. Since the start of the war in Ukraine triggered by the Russian invasion in February 2022, the IOC has been delaying its decision on whether or not these athletes will participate.
Several conditions will be put in place. Athletes will be under neutral banners, cannot compete in team events, and cannot have actively supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Only eleven “neutral individual athletes” have so far qualified for the competition, eight Russians and three Belarusians, the IOC said in a press release, compared to around sixty Ukrainian athletes.
Sebastian Coe still doesn’t want Russians in athletics
This Tuesday, the International Sports Federations asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to admit “as soon as possible” Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, under a neutral flag. The Olympic Summit, an annual meeting behind closed doors in Lausanne, resulted in a clear final communiqué.
The “representatives of the international summer sports federations”, supported by those of the 209 national Olympic organizations, “asked the IOC to declare eligible” for the Paris Games “neutral individual athletes who have qualified or will qualify” for the Paris Games. the event. Following the IOC’s announcement, Sebastian Coe, president of World Athletics, affirmed that no Russian athlete would be admitted to athletics events. “You may see Russian or Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag in Paris, but it will not be in athletics,” said Sebastian Coe. The position of our sport remains unchanged, it is a firm position.”
A call that did not please the Ukrainians. “As President Volodymyr Zelensky rightly said, obviously any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood,” said Acting Sports Minister Marviy Bidnyi.
“We are counting on a responsible decision and leadership from the IOC which will not allow Russia to use sport for military propaganda purposes,” added the interim minister, whose predecessor Vadym Gutzeit was removed from the government in November.
Russia, on the other hand, denounced as “discriminatory” the conditions put forward by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which notably provide that they compete under a neutral banner.
“The conditions are discriminatory and go against sporting principles. They harm the Olympic Games themselves, and not Russian sport. This approach is absolutely unacceptable,” said Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, quoted by the TASS news agency.
