The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is between a rock and a hard place, or rather torn between Russia and Ukraine.

While considering the participation of Russian athletes under a neutral banner in the 2024 Olympics, Ukraine claims that the body is promoting "war" with this proposal while Russia wants to be able to participate without restrictions. 

"Russians must participate under exactly the same conditions as all other athletes. All additional conditions and criteria are not welcome, especially those with a political component that is absolutely unacceptable for the Olympic Movement," Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on Tuesday. January 31, quoted by Russian news agencies.

"The Olympic Charter states that all athletes must participate on an equal footing."

“The money that buys Olympic hypocrisy does not smell of Ukrainian blood”

These comments come the day after new strong criticism from Ukraine against the International Olympic Committee, which is considering a return under neutral flag of Russian and Belarusian athletes banned for almost a year, provided they have not "not actively supported" the Kremlin's military intervention in Ukraine.

#IOC is a promoter of war, murder & destruction.

The IOC watches with pleasure RF destroying 🇺🇦 & then offers 🇷🇺 a platform to promote genocide & encourage their further killings.


Obviously ru-money that buys Olympic hypocrisy doesn't have a smell of 🇺🇦 blood.

Right, Mr. #Bach?

— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) January 30, 2023

An adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mykhailo Podoliak, thus accused the IOC of being the “promoter of war, murder and destruction”, days after kyiv directly threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics in Paris in case of Russian participation.

"It is obvious that the money that buys Olympic hypocrisy does not smell of Ukrainian blood. Isn't it, Mr. Bach?" he said, personally targeting the German President of the Olympic body.

At the end of the day on Monday, the Lausanne-based international organization said it "rejected" Mykhaïlo Podoliak's statement, leaving it up to each federation for the time being whether or not to reinstate the banned athletes.

With AFP

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