The presence of Russian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics, even under a neutral flag, would be “a sign of violence and impunity,” Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday.
“While Russia kills and terrorizes, the representatives of this terrorist state have no place in sports and Olympic competitions,” said Zelensky during a video conference with sports ministers from different countries.
For Zelensky, “the mere presence of representatives of the terrorist state is an expression of violence and impunity”, which “cannot be covered by any presumed neutrality or white flag”.
Ukraine is strongly against the possible presence of Russians and Belarusians in Paris 2024, as intended by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and threatens to boycott the competition.
The IOC president, Thomas Bach, unveiled a letter on Friday, dated January 31, in which the Ukrainians take this position, which he says goes against the very foundations of the Olympic movement.
For Bach, these threats and pressure from Kiev are “extremely regrettable”, a criticism shared by the “vast majority” of national Olympic committees and international sports federations.
Ukraine’s position has the support of Kiev’s traditional allies, such as the UK and Poland. In the opposite direction, the United States favored the neutral flag compromise.
Zelensky argued that Moscow wants to use the participation of Russian athletes for “war propaganda” purposes.
“If Olympic sports were about killing or hitting with missiles, you already know which national team would take first place”ironed.
Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been banned from most sporting events.
At the end of January, the IOC proposed a roadmap for the return of Russian athletes under a neutral flag, provided “they have not actively supported the war in Ukraine”.
French President Emanuel Macron, whose country will host the Games in 2024, said he would speak in person “in the summer”.
Source: DN
