The president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe did not back the decision by the International Olympic Committee to admit Russian competitors to the Paris Games with neutral status. He voiced his concerns on the organization’s official platform, underscoring the potential consequences of such participation.
He warned that any victory by athletes competing under a neutral banner could become a propaganda tool. The aim would be to present Russia and Belarus as accepted and normalized players on the world stage, which, he argued, would minimize the gravity of the actions that sparked the conflict. He emphasized that Ukrainian athletes have faced ongoing hardship, with many unable to train because sports infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. In his view, allowing neutral participation would add insult to injury for those athletes who have endured so much disruption.
In December 2023 the IOC announced that Russia and Belarus could take part in the 2024 Olympics under neutral status. The decision came with safeguards: athletes must not support the SVO, nor have ties to military organizations. Individual competition was allowed, while team events were off limits. This framework aimed to separate sports from political allegiances while still recognizing the presence of competitors from those nations.
The Paris Games were scheduled to begin in July 2024. Russian athletes were not permitted to attend the opening ceremony as part of the restrictions tied to the neutral status arrangement.
There was also a broader conversation surrounding whether Russian participation should be allowed at all. At another point, a prominent figure in the regional sports community argued that Russian athletes should not face a blanket ban from the Olympic arena, suggesting a more nuanced approach to inclusion and representation in the event’s context.