A summit presided over by Lucy Frazer will discuss the participation of Russians and Belarusians in Paris 2024. The meeting takes place on Friday.
Representatives from 30 nations including France, Germany, Poland, the United States, and Canada, will attend the meeting.
Frazer, appointed culture secretary of UK on Tuesday, said: “President Zelensky told the UK in Parliament this week of the suffering still being felt by many Ukrainians.
“As he did so, the IOC was continuing to ignore the international allies stepping up their efforts for peace and disregard how the Olympics will give Putin the perfect platform to promote Russia and legitimise his illegal war.
“We must urge the IOC to show that the Olympic values mean something, We must make clear there are consequences to this illegal invasion. We cannot allow Russian athletes to line up alongside Team GB and everyone else on the world stage.”
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, will address the summit’s delegation live via video link. Zelensky previously stated that permitting Russian athletes to compete would amount to demonstrating that “horror is somehow acceptable.”
Vadym Guttsait, Ukraine’s sports minister, notified about a Ukrainian boycott of Paris 2024 if Russian and Belarussian athletes are permitted. IOC on the other hand has advised dropping the boycott threat.
IOC President Bach noted that threatening a boycott is “premature” in a letter to Guttsait. The IOC hasn’t “yet” considered in “concrete terms” the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals.
Athletes for Ukraine and Global Athlete, two athletics organizations, both criticized the decision. They said that it proves the IOC endorses Russia’s horrific war and invasion of Ukraine.
Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and Poland opposed the participation of Russian athletes earlier this month. Subsequently, the Olympic committees of Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Denmark followed suit.
According to Poland’s minister of sport and tourism, 40 nations might boycott Paris 2024.
In contrast to her prior position, Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, now opposes Russia’s participation while the conflict in Ukraine rages.
Also Read: A New Visual Identity and Pictograms: Paris 2024 gets ready for Olympic extravaganza
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