Paris 2024: IOC member says Russia, Belarus athletes may face ban
Athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be allowed to compete on the Paris 2024 Video games over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, senior Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) member Craig Reedie stated.
The IOC issued steering to sports activities governing our bodies in February to take away the 2 nations’ athletes from competitors. Belarus has been used as a staging floor for Russia’s invasion, which Moscow calls a “particular army operation.”
“A choice goes to must be taken on what occurs to every of those two nations, and my guess is that the overall feeling can be that they need to not qualify,” former IOC vice-president Reedie advised British media.
“Most individuals are fighting how we may obtain a point of illustration, however in the mean time, there is no such thing as a clear technique to do it. Due to this fact, you keep the established order.”
Athletes will miss qualification occasions for Paris on account of the measures, and IOC President Thomas Bach stated in Could that Russia’s participation was unclear.
It has, nevertheless, not sanctioned or banned Russian members who sit on the IOC from collaborating in Olympic conferences and has additionally not sanctioned the Russian Olympic Committee.
Of the sports activities on the Olympic program, solely biking, tennis and judo have allowed Russians and Belarusians to proceed to compete however Reedie stated he doubted even athletes from these sports activities can be permitted to take part in qualifying occasions.
Reedie, former president of the World Anti-Doping Company (WADA), stated it might be unrealistic to permit athletes to enter qualifying competitions as soon as they’ve begun.
“It is fairly tough midway by means of to say, ‘All of you who’ve now certified we have modified the foundations’,” Reedie stated.
“So there’s an actual problem for the federations, who’ve a transparent instruction which they’ve agreed to that they will not invite Russians and Belarusians to participate in occasions.
“On the face of it, it is unlikely that anyone would qualify apart from these three sports activities which do not do it that manner. And can they have the ability to qualify (from these three sports activities)? I am unsure.”
A Russian doping scandal, involving revelations of a state-backed system throughout many sports activities, following the Sochi 2014 Olympics led to Russian athletes competing as neutrals on the Video games as a part of IOC sanctions.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Hyderabad; Modifying by Peter Rutherford )
