Olympic games
IOC discusses whether to admit Russians to the opening of the Olympics
Are Russian athletes at the opening of the Summer Games? photo
© Michael Kappeler/dpa
Are Russian athletes at the opening of the Summer Games? The IOC faces an important question.
The head of the International Olympic Committee will discuss from 9:00 a.m. the question of whether athletes should be excluded Russia will be allowed to take part in the opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Games.
At the start of its two-day meeting in Lausanne, the IOC Executive Committee around President Thomas Bach is discussing whether the umbrella organization will follow the example of the Paralympics. Russian and Belarusian participants are excluded from the opening and closing ceremonies at the Disabled Sports Games in Paris.
Because of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, individual athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus are only allowed to compete in the Olympics under a neutral flag. Their anthems will not be played and national symbols are prohibited.
Teams from both countries are generally locked out. In addition, starters from Russia and Belarus are not allowed to have any connections to the army or security organs and are not allowed to actively support the war.