Ukraine will not boycott the Olympics in Paris if Russians and Belarusians perform under a neutral flag

The Minister of Youth and Sports Vadym Hutzeit said that Ukraine will participate in the 2024 Olympics if Russians and Belarusians are represented in a neutral status.

"Our athletes need to be at the Olympics. Our flag will be at the opening, at the competitions, our athletes will represent our country so that everyone in the world can see that Ukraine is, was and will be," Hutzeit noted.

In an interview with Kyodo News, he noted that if the Russian Federation and Belarus were allowed to compete in Paris under their own flags, Ukraine would boycott the Olympics.

"If Russia and Belarus will perform under their flag, we will not participate in this Olympics," Hutzeit emphasized.

• On January 27, the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach said that he supports the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the 2024 Olympics, even despite Ukraineʼs threat to boycott the Games.
• On January 29, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced that he had written a letter to French leader Emmanuel Macron regarding the possible admission of Russians to the Olympics. The IOC responded to criticism from the Ukrainian authorities and the sports community, calling it slander.
• IOC President Thomas Bach said that the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from international competitions is a violation of human rights.
• On March 30, the Cabinet of Ministers decided that Ukrainian athletes will boycott tournaments that will feature athletes from Russia or Belarus.
• On June 22, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) adopted a resolution calling on the IOC not to allow athletes from Belarus and the Russian Federation to participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024, even under a neutral flag.
• On July 26, the national Olympic committees of the Russian Federation and Belarus did not receive an invitation from the IOC to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.
• On July 27, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine issued an order that allowed Ukrainian athletes to participate in competitions where Russians and Belarusians compete in a neutral status, and not under their flags.