"Not to fulfill Ukraine's demands". IOC "found a balanced solution" to Russia and the 2024 Olympics

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach is not afraid of a boycott of the 2024 Olympic Games by Ukraine, despite the fact that he again called for the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Games in Paris. Bach said he was satisfied with the decision made by the IOC.

On December 8, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympics in a neutral status. However, this applies only to individual events, and the athletes themselves must meet certain criteria.

"Not fulfilling all of Ukraine's demands does not mean supporting the war, especially since we have been standing with unprecedented solidarity on the side of Ukrainian athletes since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Why should Ukraine punish its athletes for the actions of the Russian army and deprive them of their dream of the Olympic Games?" Yahoo quoted Bach as saying, citing the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

Bach said that this decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus will not change the course of the war in Ukraine in favor of Russia.

"This once again makes the importance of sanctions against this government clear to the world," Bach said.

Both Ukraine and Russia reacted sharply to the IOC's decision. The Russian Federation fears that its best athletes may be denied entry based on these criteria.

Looking at the criticism from both sides, Bach said: "This means that we have obviously found a balanced solution."

As reported by OBOZ.UA, the president of the Russian Ski Racing Federation (RRF), Yelena Vyalbe, expressed an absurd idea that Russian athletes would be persuaded to return to international tournaments.

On June 15, the IOC allowed athletes from Russia to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, subject to certain criteria.

Later, IOC chief Thomas Bach said in an interview on September 4 that Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not support the war in Ukraine and have no ties to the armed forces or other state structures will be able to compete at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

On December 10, Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidnyi admitted that Ukraine may boycott the 2024 Olympics. The Games will be held in the French capital from July 26 to August 11.

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