Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortnichuk said that his country, along with others, may issue an ultimatum to the leadership of the International Olympic Committee if Russians and Belarusians are admitted to the Olympic Games in 2024.
Bortnichuk told Polskie Radio about this.
"We manage to hold events on the international arena. We are talking about the sports ministers of 40 countries who signed the appeal in order to create some pressure on the leadership of the International Olympic Committee. I will inform you about the details when there is already something to inform about. Because the situation requires today to speak less at first. The main burden in this matter lies on Poland and Great Britain," the Minister of Sports of Poland noted.
He considers the scenario with an ultimatum quite real, but he would not like Poland to be the only country that nominates him. In this matter, Bortnichuk advocates the creation of an effective coalition of countries.
- On January 25, it became known that Russian and Belarusian athletes were recommended to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral flag. At the same time, the IOC will check each athlete for compliance with the rules of the Olympic Charter and the World Anti-Doping Code. In particular, they will be required not to support the war in Ukraine. In case of non-compliance with the conditions, the participant will be eliminated. In response to such a position, Zelensky invited the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, to Bakhmut so that he would understand that neutrality does not exist.
- The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine will consider the possibility of boycotting the Summer Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to return to international sports arenas before the end of aggression against Ukraine.
- The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky wrote a letter to his French colleague Emmanuel Macron regarding the possible admission of Russian athletes to the Olympic Games, which will be held in Paris in 2024.