Russia’s president accused the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday of “ethnic discrimination” in relation to Russian athletes, who may be allowed to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games under a neutral flag, as a result of the military attack on Ukraine.
“Thanks to some IOC leaders, we have learned that the Games themselves can be used as an instrument of political pressure against people who have nothing to do with politics, and in fact as an instrument of ethno-racial discrimination.”said Vladimir Putin in a speech dedicated to sports, in Perm, in Russia’s Ural Mountains region.
The IOC has not yet announced a decision on the participation of Russian athletes, under a neutral flag, in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, but last week suspended the Russian Olympic Committee after deciding to unilaterally integrate regional sports associations from Ukrainian territories.
On October 5, the Russian Olympic Committee decided to unilaterally integrate as members regional sports organizations under the authority of the Ukrainian Committee, namely from Zaporijia, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kherson.
According to the IOC, the decision to unilaterally integrate regional sports organizations under the authority of the Ukrainian committee as members “constitutes a violation of the Olympic Charter, as it violates the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian National Committee.”
The Russian Olympic Committee can therefore no longer function as a national committee and receive money from the Olympic movement.
Russia and Belarus have been banned from several sporting events since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. However, some individual athletes may participate under certain conditions, namely performing under a neutral flag.
Last September, French President Emmanuel Macron rejected the possibility of having a Russian flag at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, pointing to “war crimes” committed by the Putin regime, and referred a decision to the IOC about the participation of Russian athletes in the event.
Source: DN
