Ukraine fights to exclude Russian athletes from Paris 2024 Olympics
For Volodymyr Zelensky, “the neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with the blood of Ukrainians”.
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Should Russian athletes be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics in 2024?
For the Ukrainians, the answer to this question must absolutely be negative and the presidency in kyiv is charging the CIO on Monday, accused of being a “promoter of war”.
Even under a neutral flag, Russian athletes cannot participate in Olympic competitions, because that would amount, according to the Ukrainian authorities, to "justifying" the war waged by Vladimir Putin.
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Fearing that the Olympic Committee would give in to pressure from Moscow, kyiv stepped up its efforts to obtain their banishment for as long as the war in Ukraine lasted.
This Monday, the Ukrainian presidency accuses the International Olympic Committee of being a “promoter of war” in Ukraine.
The first salvo was fired last week by the Ukrainian Sports Minister who threatened to boycott the Paris Games if Russian athletes were to participate, even under a neutral banner.
The second came from the Ukrainian president who in turn seized on the issue by castigating the idea of Olympic neutrality on Friday.
For Volodymyr Zelensky, “
the neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with the blood of Ukrainians
”.
“I am continuing our marathon so that international bodies reconnect with the basic principles of Olympism,
he declared.
I therefore sent a letter to the presidents of the main sports federations asking them to prevent the International Olympic Committee from opening up sport to the propaganda and influence of a terrorist state.
If Russian athletes take part in the competitions, they are sure to justify Russian aggression and use symbols of terror.
»
► Find all our articles on the 2024 Olympics by clicking here
Olympic principles and war fundamentally oppose each other.
Russia must stop aggression and terror, and only after it will be possible to talk about Russian participation in the Olympic movement.
📷 Nikolay Synelnykov pic.twitter.com/KrMuWHXdVP
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) January 28, 2023
A decision that does not belong to the IOC
Volodymyr Zelensky's appeal follows statements from the IOC last week, which raised the possibility of reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes.
An embarrassing question for the Organizing Committee of the Paris Games.
Asked about the subject, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of the French capital, said that she was not opposed to the participation of Russian athletes under a neutral banner.
However, it is not the Organizing Committee of the Games that will make the decision.
As the IOC has pointed out, it is the international federations of each sport that have authority in this area.
► To read also:
How far will the military commitment of Westerners go in Ukraine?
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Volodymyr Zelensky
Ukraine
Russia
Olympic Games 2024
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