On April 1, Ukraine's Cabinet Minister Oleh Nemchinov decided to boycott the Olympics if Russians and Belarusians were allowed to participate in the Summer Olympics in Paris. The fact that it is a political decision is worrying for the International Olympic Committee, IOC.
"This raises serious questions about the independence of Ukrainian sports. The IOC has always believed that it is not up to governments to decide in which international competitions the athletes can enter."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said earlier this year that Russian athletes have no place in the Paris Games. Nemchinov hinted a few days ago that the Ukrainian sports federations that allow the athletes to compete in Olympic qualifiers against Russians should lose their status, writes the BBC.
The IOC says that those athletes who do choose to compete can receive support from the Olympic Movement's solidarity fund.
The IOC has not yet made a decision on Russian and Belarusian participation in the Olympics. However, it recommends that the International Federation of Olympic Sports allow individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete under neutral flags. At least if they don't actively support the war in Ukraine.