Russia said on Thursday it hoped what it called “unfair and unacceptable” sanctions on Russian athletes will be reviewed ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“Most countries support us. It is essential that our athletes participate in all international competitions,” said Russian Sports Minister Igor Levitin.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued recommendations for the gradual return to international competitions for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals, with President Thomas Bach saying their participation “works” despite Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
The IOC Executive Board’s recommendations concern the return of those athletes to international competitions but not the 2024 Paris Olympics where a separate decision will be taken at a later date.
However, the recommendations triggered angry reactions from countries opposed to Russian and Belarusian participation as well as from Russia, whose Olympic Committee chief, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, called them “absolutely unacceptable.”
Bach told a previous news conference after the IOC meeting: “Sports organizations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports.”
He said the recommendations for events organizers and sports federations to follow included that Russian and Belarusian athletes can only compete as neutrals, with no flag or anthem.
They cannot take part in team events and must have a proven drugs testing record, while athletes who support Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, or are contracted to their countries’ military or national security agency are excluded.
The IOC has set out a pathway for Russian and Belarusian competitors to earn Olympic slots through Asian qualifying but has faced headwinds, with Ukraine threatening to boycott next year’s Olympics should they compete there, even as neutrals
