International Courant
The athletes have been initially banned from competing internationally after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has given the inexperienced mild for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in subsequent yr’s Video games as impartial athletes.
Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify of their sport for the Paris 2024 Olympic Video games will be capable to compete with out flags, emblems or anthems, outdoors of crew occasions and so long as they don’t actively assist the battle in Ukraine, the IOC stated on Friday. .
The athletes have been initially barred from worldwide participation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, however have since been steadily readmitted as impartial athletes in most sports activities.
The IOC stated eight Russians and three Belarusians are among the many 4,600 athletes worldwide who’ve thus far certified for the Summer season Video games, which begin in July.
They’re solely allowed to take part in particular person sports activities and no groups from the 2 nations are allowed to take part in Paris.
Greater than sixty Ukrainian athletes have certified for subsequent yr’s Olympic Video games in Paris. In complete, about 11,000 athletes will take part within the video games subsequent yr.
Athletes and officers from Ukraine, together with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have repeatedly urged the IOC to fully exclude Russia and Belarus.
Nevertheless, representatives of worldwide sports activities federations and nationwide Olympic committees had known as for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be admitted underneath a impartial flag “as quickly as doable”.
Ukraine’s Sports activities Minister Matviy Bidnyi advised the AFP information company on Thursday forward of the choice that Kiev was involved that the transfer seemed that the IOC “doesn’t need to present the mandatory management within the discipline of Olympic equity and justice”.
“As President Volodymyr Zelensky aptly stated: ‘It’s clear that each impartial flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood,’” Bidnyi stated.
“If there’s a battle and a rustic destroys one other nation with its passports, then ‘neutrality’ turns into irresponsible,” he stated, including that giving up their Russian passport was “the one doable approach for an athlete immediately to realize Olympic excellence can show. his first precedence”.
Earlier this yr, Russian President Vladimir Putin accused the IOC of utilizing the video games as a type of “ethnic discrimination.”
Russians and Belarusians will compete as ‘neutrals’ on the 2024 Olympic Video games in Paris: IOC | Conflict information between Russia and Ukraine
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