Ukraine on Thursday threatened to boycott the 2024 Olympics in Paris if the authorities allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate, a prospect described as ‘unacceptable’ by the country’s sports minister.
Africa Today News, New York reports that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) have said ways to allow competitors from Russia and Belarus to take part should be ‘further explored’, despite them being sidelined from most Olympic sports since the invasion of Ukraine last February.
‘Such a situation is unacceptable for our country,’ Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Goutzeit said Thursday.
Goutzeit said Kyiv was currently pressuring the IOC and other international organisations to gain support for the banning of Russians and Belarusians from the Olympics.
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‘Our position remains unchanged — as long as the war continues in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions,’ Goutzeit wrote on Facebook.
‘If we are not heard, I do not exclude the possibility that we will boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympics.’
The IOC had advised international sports federations last February – in the days following the start of the invasion of Ukraine – to exclude athletes from their competitions, something IOC president Thomas Bach has since described as a measure to protect those athletes.
The IOC has now called on all athletes to be treated equally, regardless of the passport they hold, and said: ‘Governments must not decide which athletes can participate in which competition and which athletes cannot.’
Guttsait, who is also president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, stressed all efforts must be made to make sure Russia and Belarus are not represented in any way at the showpiece multi-sport event next summer.
‘For the whole Ukrainian sports community, this is a question of principle,” Guttsait wrote on his Facebook page. “In this, we are supported by both the President of our state and all society.
‘Part of the International Federations are outraged by the IOC’s efforts to promote the return of Russians and Belarusians. We have addressed and will address all international organizations that can influence the situation and whose opinions the IOC members can listen to.’
Guttsait added: ‘Our position is unchanged: as long as there is a war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions.
‘Certainly, our national sporting federations need to strengthen communication with international federations to keep the ban in effect.
‘Work is currently underway on further possible steps and first steps to continue sanctions and prevent Russians and Belarusians from international competitions.
‘If we are not heard, I do not rule out the possibility that we will boycott and refuse participation in the Olympics.’
Moves to reintegrate Russian athletes into next year’s Olympics have been criticised by the British government.