The International Olympic Committee will not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the Olympic opening ceremony. The association has now announced this.
The leadership of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided that athletes from Russia will not be allowed to take part in the athletes’ parade at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on July 26 in Paris. The head of the IOC made this decision after discussions in Lausanne. A decision about whether to take part in the closing ceremony on August 11th will be made later.
The Executive Committee around IOC President Thomas Bach is following the Paralympics. Because: At the games for disabled athletes in Paris, the Russian and Belarusian participants are also excluded from the opening and closing ceremonies.
IOC on a collision course with the Russian government
The background is the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. Therefore, individual athletes from Russia and its ally Belarus are only allowed to compete in the Olympics under a neutral flag. The Russian flag, the anthem and other state symbols are banned. The athletes are also not allowed to have any connection to the military, and teams are not allowed at all.
A few hours earlier, the IOC had gone on a confrontation course with the Russian government because it saw its own interests threatened. In a statement, the IOC called Russia’s plan to host “friendly games” in September “a cynical attempt to politicize sport.” The IOC called on all nations invited by Moscow to refuse to take part in the competition and to refuse any form of support.
The Olympic Games will take place in Paris from July 26th to August 11th.