March 28, (THEWILL) – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to compete as individual neutrals but has not given a timeline for their participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The decision has been met with mixed reactions, with German Sports Minister, Nancy Faeser, calling it a “slap in the face” for Ukrainian athletes, while Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Piotr Wawrzyk, said it was a “day of shame for the IOC.” Russian news agencies quoted Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the Head of the Russian Olympic Committee, saying that forcing Russians to compete under a neutral flag would amount to “discrimination.”
The IOC has also stated that “teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered,” and that “athletes, who actively support the war” or “who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies” will also be excluded.
However, IOC President, Thomas Bach, reiterated that sanctions against “those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments,” must remain in place. Bach has said that a decision on whether athletes from Russia and Belarus can participate in the Paris 2024 and the 2026 Winter Olympics will be taken “at the appropriate time.” He added that the IOC “did not consider it appropriate to give a timeline…no one knows what’s happening tomorrow or in nine months.”
The decision has been met with criticism from more than 300 active and former fencers, who called on Bach to uphold the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, accusing him and the interim president of their federation of prioritizing Russians ahead of Ukrainians.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
