PACE calls for complete ban of Russian and Belarusian athletes from Olympics

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has adopted a resolution recommending that the International Olympic Committee not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, even under a neutral flag. Source: Yevheniia Kravchuk, a member of the Ukrainian delegation to PACE and MP from the Servant of the People faction, as European Pravda reports Details: The decision was adopted by 71 votes in favour and four against.

According to the document, the Assembly believes that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in the current circumstances is unthinkable, will be used as a propaganda tool, and will de facto make it impossible for other athletes, including Ukrainian ones, to participate.

The PACE underlines that the absence of a strict ban will encourage Russian citizens to believe that the world is ready to maintain ties with Russia despite its military aggression against Ukraine. The Assembly underlines that by appropriately excluding athletes from aggressor states, the IOC would demonstrate its commitment to the values of the Olympic Games, promote peaceful solutions to conflicts, and send a clear message to the Russian and Belarusian governments that their actions have consequences and that the international community stands in solidarity with Ukraine. PACE calls on the national representatives of the IOC, national and international sports federations to express their opposition to the IOC's proposal to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, even as "neutral athletes".

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The document contains a strong call to the IOC and its sports bodies to ban the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, as well as in all other major sporting events, as long as the war of aggression against Ukraine continues. Background: The Council of Europe's leadership supports the call for the International Olympic Committee to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing in 2024.  Earlier, about 30 countries, including the host of the 2024 Olympics, France, called on the IOC to exclude Russians and Belarusians from participating in the games in Paris due to problems with the athletes' "neutrality".

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