The decision on the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics will not be for the local organizing committee, which is more concerned with supporting Ukrainians.
500 days before the opening ceremony of the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, the president of the organizing committee, Tony Estanguet, says the priority cannot be Paris2024, but that the war in Ukraine can end soon and “how the Ukrainian people can become the best supported”. , Ukrainian athletes”.
“The IOC [Comité Olímpico Internacional], depending on what the international federations are doing and even if the Russian and Belarusian athletes have qualified, you can say whether or not you accept them to participate in these Games. This decision has not yet been made. AND [o Comité Organizador de] Paris2024 can’t decide”he said in an interview with AFP.
Despite this, Estanguet assumes that there have been discussions with the French President, Emmanuel Macron, on this subject.
“There have been talks, of course, between us and the president of the republic, between the president and the IOC, which may share his point of view, but the IOC has the final decision,” he assumed.
The Russian military offensive on Ukrainian territory, launched on February 24, 2022, plunged Europe into what is considered the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
Organizers believe in a great Olympic Games
The president of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, assured that France is ready to host a great event and said he understands the disappointment over the lack of tickets.
Given that hosting an Games is “a real challenge, it is complex”, Estanguet says its aim is “to ensure that each of the players can converge towards the success of Paris2024”.
“We need to receive everyone’s comments, find compromises to advance this wonderful boat, which is Paris2024. I am convinced that France has all the means to host great Games”he said in an interview with AFP.
500 days before the start of Paris2024, Estanguet guarantees that “all the ingredients are in place to make the magic of the Games happen” as the athletes begin qualifying and infrastructure construction progresses.
The first phase of ticket sales was a success, with over three million tickets sold in less than three weeks, although there were some complaints about a lack of tickets.
“We know that the demand is so great that the supply cannot meet it. There are many more interested people than there are tickets available, even though we have 13 million tickets.” [em conjunto com Jogos Paralímpicos]. There are still opportunities, tomorrow the second sales phase will start [quarta-feira]he referred.
Knowing that there won’t be tickets for everyone, Estanguet hopes that the second phase will “continue to generate disappointments and frustrations” as this would mean that demand would remain high.
Source: DN
