The Czech Olympic Committee (COV) and the government yesterday took a stand against the idea of Russian and Belarusian athletes participating under a neutral flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
"Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot participate in the Olympic Games," reads the press release of the Czech Olympic Committee (COV).
The COV added that it saw "no reason" to reconsider their exclusion from most sports competitions, which was decided after the entry of Russian forces into the territory of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Hina reported.
"The Czech Olympic Committee clearly supports the sanctions against Russia and Belarus that the International Olympic Committee brought last year and which are still in force. We see no reason to change them. Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot compete at the Olympic Games," they said from Prague.
However, COV emphasized that it will not push Czech athletes to boycott the Games if the Olympic movement chooses the path of reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag.
"Of course, we will respect the wishes of every athlete if he decides not to participate," the announcement added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) proposed at the end of January a plan to organize the return of banned athletes under a neutral flag, on the condition that they "did not actively support the war in Ukraine."
The initiative was immediately rejected by the Ukrainian authorities, threatening a boycott, and then by Poland and Estonia.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also supported them on Monday, stating that "in these circumstances, the participation of Russian athletes in the Olympics does not seem like a good idea to him".
"I really can't imagine Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in Paris while Ukrainian athletes die defending their country," he said.
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