"Ukrainian government has gone too far". The IOC said that "it's too much for them", criticising our country's decision

James Macleod, Director of the IOC's Olympic Solidarity Programme and Head of National Olympic Committees, criticised the Ukrainian government's decision. According to the Briton, it went "too far".

Last month, the IOC Executive Board recommended that international federations return athletes from Russia and Belarus to the world sports scene in neutral status if they do not support the invasion of Ukraine and are not affiliated with the armed forces. The move prompted the Ukrainian government to issue a decree requiring athletes to boycott any 2024 Olympic qualifying events where Russians are competing.

"The Ukrainian government has gone so far as to ban its athletes from competing in events where there may be neutral athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports. They have also threatened to cut off funding for these athletes if they do so. Obviously, this is too much for us, because the main role in all discussions should belong to the athletes," insidethegames.biz quoted the official as saying.

The IOC believes that the decisions of any government, be it the government of Ukraine, the government of Russia or any other, should not affect the ability of athletes to access international competitions or funding.

"This is an unfortunate situation we are in at the moment. Undoubtedly, the IOC Executive Board will have to discuss what is happening again," added the head of NOC relations.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, on April 1, the head of the IOC criticised Ukraine's decision not to allow Ukrainian athletes to participate in the qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris if they have to compete with Russians.

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