Dmitry Vasiliev, two-time Olympic champion in biathlon, sharply opposed the trip to France, commenting on the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow athletes from Russia with neutral status to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. His words guide the way “Sports Express”.
“You can’t go to these Games! Nothing good awaits athletes there. In subjective sports there will be bias, no one can guarantee safety. <…> When it is no longer possible for many people to qualify for the Games, they declare that they can go. This is a scam by the IOC. Everything the IOC does harms the Olympic movement. This is a mockery of Russian citizens,” Vasiliev said.
The IOC said Russian athletes will be required to sign updated conditions of participation, which include a commitment to respect the Olympic Charter, including the “peaceful mission of the Olympic movement”. Russian athletes who rank well in their own disciplines will be allowed to compete.
In 2022, against the background of the start of SVO in Ukraine, the president of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach recommended that international federations exclude Russian athletes from international competitions. On January 25, 2023, the IOC announced that it was considering the possibility of allowing Russian athletes who do not support the holding of the SBO to participate in international competitions in a neutral status.
Previously IOC criteria for Russia’s admission named illegal and degrading.