MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. Ukraine insists that Russian and Belarusian athletes, who have been cleared to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, sign a written agreement obliging them against taking part in the 2024 World Friendship Games in Russia this fall, Ukraine’s acting Sports Minister Matvey Bedny told French daily Le Monde.
"It is essential that athletes from both countries [Russia and Belarus] sign a document confirming that they would not be participating in the [2024 World] Friendship Games," Ukraine’s top sports official told the French daily.
Less than a week ago, Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo paid a visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, where she stated that the French capital "would not welcome" athletes from Russia and Belarus if they come to participate in the 2024 Olympics this summer.
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that all athletes who are set to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris will be welcomed in the spirit of Olympic traditions.
The 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be hosted by the French capital of Paris between July 26 and August 11.
2024 World Friendship Games
Moscow and Yekaterinburg in Russia’s Urals region are slated to co-host the 2024 World Friendship Games on September 15-29.
In December 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) 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.
Last November, WADA chief Banka warned that certain sanctions could be in place against international athletes willing to participate in the 2024 World Friendship Games. He said in particular that: "The possible participation in those competitions of those who are parties to the WADA Code, may have certain consequences."
IOC’s regulations against Russia
The International Olympic Committee Executive Board convened for a meeting at the Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 19-20 and following the opening day it decided to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus from taking part in the Parade of Athletes and also exclude them from the 2024 Olympics overall medal standings.
The IOC, however, ruled that Russian athletes, cleared to participate in the upcoming Olympics, would not have to sign anything denouncing their country’s special military operation in Ukraine.
On October 12, 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) until further notice after the Russian organization included the Olympic councils of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions as its members.
The Swiss-based CAS registered on November 6, 2023 an appeal from the ROC against the IOC’s decision on the Russian governing Olympic body’s suspension.
The suspension means that the ROC cannot act as a national Olympic committee or receive financing from the Olympic movement. The IOC however reserved the right to clear Russian athletes to take part in the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024 as neutrals. Later, IOC President Thomas Bach said that Russian athletes should have no affiliation with the ROC if they want to compete at the Olympic Games.