BERLIN – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron yesterday that he is against the participation of Russian athletes at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“We discussed diplomatic steps to end the war. I stressed that athletes from the Russian Federation should have no place at Paris 2024,” he tweeted after a call with French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday, reported German Press Agency.
In December, Zelenskyy had asked the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, to make permanent the ban on Russian athletes from international competitions.
An Olympic summit on December 9 opened the door for the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The participants voted unanimously to consider a request from the Asian governing body OCA to allow athletes from the two countries to participate in its competitions under a neutral flag and without playing the anthems.
The statement said conditions for the participation of Russians and Belarusians include respect for the Olympic Charter and the sanctions, which include the ban on flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications of Russia and Belarus at sports events. – Bernama, January 25, 2023
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