The head of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Tony Estanguet, said on Friday (3) that it is up to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to decide whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate in the Games next year.
This week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked the body to ban them from the competition, saying that allowing Russia to participate in the Olympics was the same as showing that “terror is somehow acceptable”.
Three-time Olympic champion and president of the Paris 2024 organizing committee, Estanguet told Reuters he is “in favor of maintaining this symbol of universality for the Games” when asked about the participation of Russians and Belarusians.
However, he stated that the decision rests with the governing body of the Games.
“It’s not up to Paris 2024 to decide who can participate, it’s up to the IOC, it’s up to the International Paralympic Committee, it’s up to the international federations that will decide which delegations can participate,” said Estanguet.
When asked about the matter, an official in French President Emmanuel Macron’s office also said it was up to the IOC to decide whether to allow Russian athletes to compete, and that Macron was in favor of respecting historical precedent and letting them participate under a neutral flag. .
Athletes from Russia and neighboring Belarus, which aided Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine a year ago, have been banned from many international competitions since then.
The IOC announced last week that athletes from both countries, banned from competing in Europe, could earn Olympic berths by qualifying in Asian events. However, he later said he agreed with the sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus.
Source: CNN Brasil
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