IOC President Bach supported the participation of Russians in the 2024 Olympics in Paris

President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach called for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Olympic Games. According to him, Russians and Belarusians should have the opportunity to take part in the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris.

According to Thomas Bach, it is wrong to apply the principle of “collective guilt” to Russian and Belarusian athletes. At the same time, in case of admission to the Olympics, various restrictions must be introduced for them.

“Our principles are clear – any active support for military action, including the display of the Z symbol on clothes, on social networks, and so on, is prohibited. Anyone who will do this should not take part in competitions, ”said Mr. Bach (quoted from Associated Press).

Earlier, the IOC recommended that international federations remove Russians and Belarusians from competitions due to the military operation in Ukraine. In addition, most federations decided not to hold any competitions on the territory of the Russian Federation and Belarus.

In January 2023, IOC President Thomas Bach publicly advocated for the first time that Russians and Belarusians be allowed to the 2024 Olympics. According to him, the exclusion of athletes because of their passport “is not in line with the values ​​and mission of the Olympic Charter.” The Ukrainian authorities reacted sharply negatively to such an initiative of Bach and urged not lift sanctions against athletes from Russia and Belarus.

Read more about this in the material “Kommersant” “Ukrainians demand continuation of the boycott”.

Alexander Kislov