BERLIN (Reuters) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Wednesday he would launch an international campaign to prevent Russian athletes from invading the country from participating in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on the 25th that it had received a proposal from the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions held in Asia. We welcome and appreciate it,” he said.
Ukrainian Youth and Sports Minister Huttsait has threatened to boycott the Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes participate in the Paris Olympics.
“Today, we are determined to fight hypocrisy from the operation of the international Olympic organization and to stop attempts to recruit representatives of terrorist states into world sport,” Zelensky said in a video speech. “It is clear that the flag of neutrality of Russian athletes will be stained with blood. The principles of the Olympic Games and war are fundamentally contradictory,” he said.
Zelensky tweeted that he would invite IOC president Thomas Bach to Bakhmut, a war-torn eastern Ukraine town. “You will see for yourself that there is no such thing as neutrality,” he said.
