International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said the government will not tolerate interference in international sports and especially Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
“At the Australian Open we saw how a Ukrainian tennis player played against an opponent with a Russian passport but acting in neutral status. We saw a Belarusian athlete who won the tournament in neutral position. Then why is it impossible in the pool or gymnastics?
We take and consider human rights issues very seriously. However, national governments should not decide who can participate in international sporting events. Such an approach would be the end of all international tournaments,” explains Bach. AFP.
Earlier, Lithuanian Minister of Education, Science and Sports Jurgita Shyugzhdinene said in an online meeting that 35 countries oppose Russia and Belarus’ participation in the Paris Olympics. To him, it included the United States, Germany, and Australia.
On January 25, the International Olympic Committee announced that it was considering the possibility of allowing Russian athletes who did not support a special operation in Ukraine to participate in international competitions with neutral status.
Previously, Denis Glushakov, newcomer to the club of the Russian Premier League (RPL) “Paris Nizhny Novgorod” declarationthat he plans to “bury” some teams so they can fly to the First Division.