The Ukrainian Olympic Committee this Wednesday asked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to investigate the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Paris Games after alleged violations of neutrality.
“I would like to address you again on the question of the possible participation of AINs (neutral individual athletes) with Russian and Belarusian passports, in particular those competing in wrestling, in Paris, and their adherence to the Conditions of Participation Recommended by the IOC“said the president of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, Vadym Huttsait.
In December, the IOC He maintained that Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualified for this year’s Olympic Games could participate in individual events as neutrals without their national flags, emblems or anthems.
All athletes must meet certain conditions, including not having actively supported the war against Ukraine.
They also cannot be hired by the Russian or Belarusian Army or by national security agencies.
“We want to address the IOC to ask it to pay special attention to these issues”Huttsait added in a letter to the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, attaching a list of athletes who, in their opinion, do not meet the IOC’s neutrality requirements. The Olympic Games of Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11.
Security, another issue that worries the IOC
While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed its confidence that the French authorities will maintain the security of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with a comprehensive plan for the biggest sporting event, French police threatened to interrupt activity at airports during the event if their demands for bonuses and decent working conditions are not met.
The French capital is preparing to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors over the 16 days that will last the Games, including the opening ceremony on July 26 along the Seine River, in which 600,000 spectators are expected to witness the passage of 160 boats that will transport athletes through the center of Paris.
The opening ceremony is considered a major security challenge in itself, with more than 45,000 security personnel deployed on the day.
The French president, Emmanuel Macronsaid last month that France was prepared to move the opening ceremony to another location if the security situation required it.
European security officials have warned of a growing risk of attacks by Islamist militants amid the war between Israel and Hamas, with the biggest threat likely to be from lone attackers who are difficult to track.
France raised its safety threshold in October, when a man armed with a knife killed a teacher at a school in the north of the country.
Source: Ambito
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