Olympics: IOC boss Bach defends admission of Russians to Paris 2024

The International Olympic Committee recently decided that individual athletes from both countries are entitled to compete in Paris under certain conditions, despite the war against Ukraine. Ukraine sharply attacked the decision, and there was also criticism from Russia.

In an interview with “Welt am Sonntag”, Bach emphasized that he did not see how the decision would influence the course of the war in Moscow’s favor. The 1976 Olympic fencing champion pointed out that the participants had to compete without a flag, without national identification and without an anthem and were not allowed to belong to the military or security authorities. “This will once again demonstrate the sanctioning of this government to the entire world,” said Bach. So far six athletes with Russian passports have qualified.

He is not afraid of a boycott of the games by Ukraine. “Why should Ukraine punish its own athletes for the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine and take away their dream of the Olympics?” asked Bach. “You are not a war supporter if you do not meet every one of Ukraine’s demands, especially since we have been supporting the Ukrainian athletes with unprecedented solidarity since the beginning of the war.”

From the reactions, Bach concludes that neither side is satisfied. “That means we have obviously found a good middle ground,” explained the IOC President, who will turn 70 next Friday.