The IOC has already protested
Russia announced plans to hold in September 2024 World Friendship Games.
They will host competitions in 27 sports, including basketball, boxing, athletics, swimming, gymnastics, and beach soccer. About 10 thousand athletes from 137 countries will be able to take part in the Games. The Games are scheduled to be held in Moscow and Yekaterinburg.
Chapter International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach reacted negatively to the idea of organizing the Friendship Games in 2024. He stated that “The Russian government is going to hold politicized competitions.”
“The Russian government accuses us of not respecting political neutrality. At the same time, this same government is trying to organize a completely politicized sporting event,” Bach said.
Bach previously spoke about the IOC’s desire to return athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions “for the sake of uniting the whole world at the Olympic Games.” The German called the position of Ukraine, which opposed the admission of all athletes from aggressor countries, “unconstructive.”
Earlier, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal said that Ukraine, together with a coalition of 35 countries, would boycott the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris if Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate. Vadim Gutzeit noted that Ukrainian athletes will perform at the Olympics if Russians and Belarusians compete under neutral flags.
Back in March, the IOC Executive Committee recommended the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral status. In response to this, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine decided to boycott the qualifying tournaments for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, where the specified athletes will be admitted.
It soon became known that Ukraine could abandon the boycott of sports competitions in which athletes from the aggressor country and the country that supports terrorism, announced in the spring of 2023, take part. This decision may also apply to the 2024 Olympics.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11.
Source: Sportarena
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