MOSCOW, November 20. /TASS/. Athletes representing Kazakhstan are ready to participate in all sports tournaments hosted by Russia, including the 2024 World Friendship Games, Kazakh Ambassador to Russia Dauren Abayev told TASS on Monday.
"[Russian President] Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Kazakhstan recently and during that visit a number of documents were signed with one of them stipulating a joint plan of actions between the sports ministries of our countries," Abayev stated. "We [Kazakhstan] are ready to participate in sports tournaments that take place on the territory of Russia."
"We have certain plans scheduled as of today and they are about the SCO [the Shanghai Cooperation Organization] Games in particular," Abayev, who previously served as the sports minister of Kazakhstan, said. "There are no problems whatsoever between Kazakhstan and Russia regarding the sports issue."
"I believe that athletes from Kazakhstan will certainly take part in the [2024] World Friendship Games," he added.
The 2024 World Friendship Games are scheduled to be hosted by the Russian capital of Moscow and the Urals city of Yekaterinburg next year between September 15 and 29.
Late last week, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has cautioned National Olympic Committees (NOCs) against participating in the World Friendship Games in Russia next year, as this would violate the global Olympic body’s recommendations.
IOC President Thomas Bach stated on June 22 that "the Russian government was going to hold politicized competitions."
Russian President Vladimir Putin decreed earlier in the year that in 2024, the first Summer World Friendship Games be held in the Russian capital of Moscow. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin later announced that the BRICS Games and the World Friendship Games have nothing to do with politics and are in no way a condemnation of the IOC.
Late last week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) warned that certain sanctions could be in place against international athletes willing to participate in the 2024 World Friendship Games. WADA President Witold Banks said: "The possible participation in those competitions of those who are parties to the WADA Code, may have certain consequences."
IOC sanctions against Russia, Belarus
On February 28, 2022, the International Olympic Committee issued recommendations to international sports federations to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in international tournaments, citing Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine as the reason.
Following the IOC’s recommendations in late February 2022, the majority of global sports federations decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from all international sports tournaments.
In late March, 2023, the IOC recommended to permit individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports tournaments, but only under certain conditions. Specifically, athletes from the two countries should not be "actively supporting" Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and must compete under a neutral status. Russia and Belarus were also banned from participating in international team events.
On July 26, 2023, the IOC extended invitations to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris to 203 National Olympic Committees. Russia and Belarus did not receive invitations. The IOC explained later that there was no deadline regarding the issue of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation.
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by the French capital of Paris between July 26 and August 11.