French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday rejected the possibility of having a Russian flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics because of the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, pointing to “war crimes” committed by the Putin regime.
“Obviously, there can’t be a Russian flag at the Paris Games, I think there’s a consensus on it,” he said in an interview with the French newspaper L’Equipe, noting that “Russia has no place as a country at a time when it has committed crimes of war and deported children”.
Asked about the possible presence of individual Russian athletes, Macron stressed that this is a decision to be made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
“I hope it is a conscious decision of the Olympic world (…) it is not the host country that should decide what the IOC should do (…) I have full confidence in Thomas Bach,” he said, about the President of the IOC .
The President of France also expressed the wish that “Ukrainians participate in this reflection.”
“The real question that the Olympic world will have to decide is what place to give these Russian athletes, who sometimes prepared their entire lives and who can also fall victim to this regime,” he said.
On how to distinguish between Russian athletes who are complicit and victims of the regime, Macron said the Olympic world must decide.
“That is the real question, and that is where the Olympic world has, in conscience, its opinion to give and guarantees to specify,” he said.
The military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 by Russia in Ukraine caused, according to the latest UN data, the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
The Russian invasion – justified by Russian President Vladimir Putin as the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russia’s security – was condemned by the international community at large, which has responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and imposing Russia’s political power. and economic sanctions.
Source: TSF
