Thirty international locations search clarifications from IOC over ‘impartial’ Russian, Belarussian athletes-Sports activities Information , Firstpost

Representational Picture. AP

Paris: Governments of greater than 30 international locations requested the IOC for “clarification” Monday over how Russian and Belarusian athletes would be capable of compete as impartial athletes within the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Russia and its ally Belarus, which allowed its territory for use as a launchpad when Moscow started its invasion of Ukraine final February, have been sidelined from most Olympic sports activities because the warfare started.

The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) has mentioned it’s exploring a “pathway” to permit Russian and Belarusian rivals to participate within the Paris Video games, below a impartial flag — sparking fury from Ukraine.

Learn | Arguments for and towards exclusion of Russia, Belarus from Paris Olympics

However in a joint letter seen by AFP, the international locations expressed concern significantly given the “robust hyperlinks and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian army”.

“We have now robust considerations on how possible it’s for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as ‘neutrals’… when they’re instantly funded and supported by their states,” mentioned the letter seen by AFP.

It mentioned that “these robust considerations have to be handled by the IOC.”

Additionally Learn | Historical past and timeline of Olympic bans and boycotts

The joint letter to the IOC follows a summit earlier this month in London attended by France, Britain, america and Canada, amongst others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky additionally spoke on the convention.

“We firmly imagine that, given there was no change within the state of affairs relating to the Russian aggression in Ukraine… there isn’t any sensible motive to maneuver away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC,” the letter learn.

“So long as these elementary points and the substantial lack of readability and concrete element on a workable ‘neutrality’ mannequin are usually not addressed, we don’t agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes must be allowed again into competitors,” the letter concluded.

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