No more than 55 Russians are expected in Paris
James McLeod, director of the IOC’s relations department with National Olympic Committees (NOCs), explained how many Russian representatives will be able to attend the Paris Olympic Games. According to him, there will be no more than 55 Russians at the Games.
Already, 12 neutral Russian athletes have qualified for the Olympics. 36 other athletes could also qualify. And the maximum number of Russians who can meet in Paris is 55. For comparison, there were 330 Russian representatives at the Olympic Games in Tokyo (Japan).
Since Russian athletes will compete in neutral status, they will be excluded from the medal table. Vedals won by neutral athletes will not appear in the reward table.
There will be no Russians at the opening ceremony of the Games
McLeod also said that Russian athletes would not participate in the opening ceremony of the Games. Recall that a similar decision was previously made regarding Russian Paralympic athletes.
“Neutral athletes will not be part of the delegation parade, but they will be able to experience the event,” McLeod said.
It is not yet clear how Russian athletes will be able to “experience the opening ceremony”. Nothing is said about this. But foreign journalists believe that Russians will be allowed to attend the ceremony. It will take place on July 26.
There will be no need to sign papers against the SVO, there will be a separate flag and anthem
Contrary to the words of ROC head Stanislav Pozdnyakov, Russian athletes will not be forced to sign papers condemning the special military operation. Earlier, Pozdnyakov claimed that such a document would appear. According to McLeod, there will be no additional documents or conditions.
At the same time, the Russians will compete under their own flag of neutral athletes. It looks like this:
Russian athletes will also receive a separate anthem. Tchaikovsky’s first concerto was performed at the Tokyo Olympics, which did not please the IOC. According to McLeod, the organization created a distinct music,
“The neutral athletes’ anthem was created by the IOC, we did not want to take music that is already in the public domain. As you remember, Tchaikovsky’s First Concerto was used before, which alienated some a lot. During the writing process, we tried to create music that athletes would listen to with dignity so that it would inspire them, “McLeod said at a press conference.
IOC games against friendship
At the same time, the IOC focused specifically on the Friendship Games, which will take place in Russia. The organization accused the Russian side of politicizing the sport.
McLeod admitted that athletes who travel to Russia will be punished.
“We will look at this issue in the future. We have made our position clear to the NOCs and the international federations, WADA has made it clear. Athletes who participate in these Games will be exposed to risks both in terms of doping and propaganda,” McLeod said. .
Anton Mozgovoy, Athletistic
Source: Sport
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
