The President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, said that he wants to "explore the possibility" of admitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Olympic Games, despite the fact that Ukraine may boycott the competition.
Spiegel writes about it.
"It does not correspond to the values and mission of the Olympic Charter — to exclude athletes because of their passport. Will they be admitted to Paris-2024? Probably. Russians and Belarusians could perform under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympics. The mission of the IOC is to bring together athletes from all over the world, this is a special symbol of the Olympics," said Bach.
He added that he knows Ukraineʼs position.
- The International Olympic Committee issued a statement calling for individual Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. Sanctions against the Russian Federation and Belarus remained in force — international competitions are prohibited on the territory of both countries.
- The President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Vadym Gutzait, then announced a possible boycott, and President Zelenskyi invited Bach to Bakhmut.