Russian sports minister slams IOC’s decision not to invite Russia to Paris Olympics
MOSCOW, July 14. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee’s decision not to invite Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris is a yet another example of discrimination, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said.
The IOC is to send formal invitations to the 2024 Summier Olympic Games in Paris to 203 national Olympic committees on July 26. The Olympic committees of Russia and Belarus are not among them. The IOC said that the final decision on allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete will be made in due time.
"This is a yet another case of discrimination and violation of the Olympic principles," he said, adding that the decision was made "without taking qualification competitions into account."
On March 28, the IOC issued recommendations that athletes from Russia and Belarus be allowed to compete in international tournaments only as neutrals, provided that they have not made public statements in support of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine and are not affiliated with the Russian Armed Forces and national security agencies.
The IOC recommendations are of advisory nature and are not applicable to the upcoming Olympic Games. Criteria for allowing Russia to compete should be determined by international sporting organizations.
