A clear message was left for the IOC. Russians are wanted in Paris.
The International Olympic Committee IOC met in Lausanne. EPA / AOP
A group of different international sports federations and national Olympic committees proposed to the International Olympic Committee IOC that Russian and Belarusian athletes could participate in next year’s Summer Olympics in Paris as athletes under neutral country symbols.
The IOC told about the wish directed at it on Tuesday in the announcement published on its website. The press release contained all the important issues of the summit organized by the IOC in Lausanne.
The current policy of the IOC prevents Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Olympic Games. However, the sports federations expressed the hope to the International Olympic Committee that the decision to allow athletes from the countries to participate in Paris would be made quickly.
Russian athletes have competed “under a neutral flag” in the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics and the 2021 Summer Olympics. The reason was the country’s systematic and state-led doping program.
Russia and Belarus were almost completely closed off from international sports when Russia attacked Ukraine in February 2022. However, the front of the sports people has cracked.
In March, the IOC itself published a press release recommending its various sports federations to consider allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions.