'Russia has no place': Macron promises no Russian flags at 2024 Olympics in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron (Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron has assured that there will be no Russian flags at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris. However, he has left the issue of Russian athletes' participation in the competitions to be determined by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Le Monde reports.
He promised to prohibit the display of Russian flags at the Summer Games in 2024. The main organizational issue, according to him, revolves around the participation of Russian athletes in the Paris Olympics.
"Obviously, there cannot be the Russian flag at the Paris Games, I think there is consensus," Macron said."There is no place for Russia as a country at a time when it has committed war crimes when it has deported children."
The decision on the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympics will be made by the IOC, according to the French president. He expressed confidence that sports officials will uphold Olympic values and expressed "total confidence" in IOC President Thomas Bach.
"The real question that the Olympic world will have to decide is what place to give to these Russian athletes who sometimes have prepared for a lifetime, and can also be the victims of this regime. This is the real question," Macron summarized.
Russia and the 2024 Olympics
The Olympic Games will take place in July-August 2024. It is likely that Russia and Belarus will not compete in team sports. Instead, there is a high probability of Belarusian and Russian athletes participating in individual events under the "neutral" status.
Until recently, the timeframe for deciding on Belarusian and Russian athletes was expected to be September-October. However, Bach stated that the IOC had not set specific deadlines for making a verdict on this matter.
Ukraine had previously boycotted competitions in which representatives of Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate. However, in the summer, the Ministry of Youth and Sports canceled the decision to withdraw athletes from tournaments where Russians and Belarusians were competing. Instead, Ukrainian athletes have been competing alongside neutral athletes.
