Russia and Ukraine are unhappy with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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| The 2024 Paris Olympics continues to witness heated debate regarding the participation of representatives from Russia and Ukraine. (Source: New York Times) |
On December 8, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin criticized the “discriminatory conditions” imposed by the IOC on Russian athletes participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics, requiring them to compete as neutral and not actively support the conflict in Ukraine.
“The conditions are discriminatory, they go against the principles of sport. They are harming the Olympic Games, not Russian sport. This approach is unacceptable,” the official said.
For his part, writing on social network X , Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba described the IOC's decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutrals as "shameful". He called on partners to criticize the decision, saying it would undermine the Olympic principles.
Earlier the same day, the IOC announced that qualified Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutrals, without flags, symbols or national anthems.
Athletes from both countries were initially banned from international competition after Russia launched a “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022. Now, athletes are gradually being allowed to return as neutrals in most sports.
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