Some Russian journalists banned from Olympics over spy suspicions
Photo: Some journalists from Russia have been banned from covering the Olympics (olympics com)
France has banned some Russian journalists from covering the Olympic Games, as spies could be among them, says French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche.
He said that France allowed Russians to work for the International Olympic Committee.
“We refused many 'journalists' who claimed to want to cover the Games. On the other hand, we allowed the presence of Russians working for the International Olympic Committee. We are proceeding with the principle of caution,” he said.
In total, France has checked 960,000 dossiers for admission to work at the Olympics. 4,340 people were rejected. Among them are volunteers, stadium workers, and members of sports delegations. In response to a question about whether it was possible to identify spies among them, the French Interior Minister said there were fewer than a hundred of them.
“Russia, Belarus, and other countries, the list of which I will not disclose,” Darmanin added.
The French minister does not believe that the spies could have organized any terrorist attack, but he admitted that potential spies could have gained access to local networks for cyberattacks.
Olympics 2024
The Summer Olympics will start in Paris on July 26. The Olympics will feature 32 sports.
France has been preparing for the Olympics and enhancing security in Paris and throughout the country.
Ukraine will also be represented at the Olympics. Find out which Ukrainian athletes will go to Paris in RBC-Ukraine's article.
