The International Olympic Committee urged the coalition of countries not to demand Russia’s exclusion

Moscow, February 13 – The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has urged the coalition of countries opposed to the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Paris Olympics not to sign a joint declaration demanding that athletes not be accepted until the 2024 Games, Dagbladet reported, citing Spiegel.

Earlier, IOC President Thomas Bach said that governments should not decide who can participate in international competitions. On February 10, the United Kingdom hosted an international summit of sports ministers with the participation of representatives from 36 countries, after which the Minister of Education, Science and Sports of Lithuania, Yorgita Seogdenini, said that most of them were in favor of not allowing the Russians. And Belarusians at the Olympic Games.

According to Spiegel, this message was sent to the Olympic committees of the countries whose sports ministers attended the February 10 summit.

In February 2022, the IOC recommended, due to the situation in Ukraine, that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions as a precautionary measure. On January 25, the IOC Executive Committee called for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral position, while suggesting that athletes who actively supported the special operation not be allowed into Ukraine.

Ukraine’s Youth and Sports Minister Vadym Gotzet said on February 3 that he does not rule out the possibility of boycotting the 2024 Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to return to international sports arenas. For the most part, Bach said, members of the sporting community view Ukraine’s attempts to pressure them in this way with great regret.