Mayor of Paris Says Russian, Belarusian Athletes Not Welcome at Olympics

Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be welcome at the Summer Olympics in Paris, the mayor of the city, Anne Hidalgo, said.

This week, Hidalgo visited Kiev and held talks with the head of the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee, Vadym Guttsait, and the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, as well as with Ukrainian athletes.

“I want to tell Russian and Belarusian athletes that they will not be welcome in Paris. At the same time, I want to tell athletes from Ukraine that we will support them with all our might,” Hidalgo was quoted as saying by Le Monde newspaper on Saturday.

Many sports organizations across the globe have banned Russian athletes from participating in their competitions in response to Moscow’s ongoing operation in Ukraine. The athletes have also been barred from competing under the national flag and using the national anthem at major international sports events, including the Olympics.

Earlier, Vladimir Putin pointed out that “Russia has been and remains committed to traditional Olympic values. We oppose the politicization of sport, attempts to use it as an instrument of pressure, unfair competition and discrimination.”

The International Olympic Committee has allowed participation of Russian and Belarus athletes in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but only under individual neutral status and on condition of complying with a number of criteria. The athletes are, in particular, required not to be affiliated with the armies and not to have supported Russia’s operation in Ukraine.

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