More than 30 countries have asked the IOC to clarify the “neutral” status of Russian and Belarusian athletes

The governments of more than 30 countries asked the International Olympic Committee on Monday for clarification on how Russians and Belarusians will be able to participate as “neutral” athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Moscow and Minsk, which allowed their territory to be used as a launching pad when Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February, have been barred from most Olympic sports since the start of the war.
The International Olympic Committee said it was exploring ‘means’ to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag, angering Ukraine.
Authorities from more than 30 countries sent a letter to the IOC leadership on Monday expressing concern over “the close ties and kinship between Russian athletes and the Russian military”.
“We have serious concerns about the realism for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to act as ‘neutrals’ when directly funded and supported by their states,” the letter reads.
According to the authors of the appeal, these serious concerns should be addressed by the IOC.
The joint letter follows a summit in London earlier this month attended by France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and other countries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also spoke at the conference.
“We firmly believe that since the situation of Russian aggression in Ukraine has not changed, there is no practical reason to deviate from the suspension regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes established by the IOC,” the statement said. letter. “Until these fundamental questions and the significant lack of clarity and specific detail regarding an achievable ‘neutrality’ model are resolved, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete.”
The letter was signed, among others, by Lee Satterfield, Deputy Secretary of State for Education and Cultural Affairs, Minister of Sport of Canada Pascal Saint-Onge, Minister of Education and Science of Latvia Anda Caksa, Minister of Education, Science and Sport of Lithuania Jurgita Sjugzhdinene, Minister of Culture of Estonia Piret Hartman and representatives from more than 20 states.