Russia should not boycott the Paris Games, says minister – 03/13/2024 – Sports

Russia should not boycott the Paris Olympic Games, Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin said on Wednesday, despite restrictions imposed on the participation of Russian athletes as a reaction to the military campaign in Ukraine.

“We must not turn our backs, close ourselves off, boycott this movement”, declared the minister during a meeting that discussed the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, according to the state agency Tass.

“We must, as far as possible, maintain the possibility of dialogue and participate in competitions,” added the Russian minister.

In December, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) authorized Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Games (from July 26 to August 11), but with a neutral flag, outside of team sports and as long as they have not actively supported the offensive Russian in Ukraine.

Moscow, which has criticized the criteria on several occasions, which it considers “humiliating” and “Russophobic”, has not formally recommended whether or not its athletes compete in the Paris Olympic Games.

Minister Oleg Matytsin said he awaits the next IOC meeting on March 18 and 19.

“We will see what the IOC’s final decision will be (…), but, so far, the position is that there are no new recommendations or regulations,” he said.

In December, President Vladimir Putin declared that the IOC risked “burying the Olympic movement” by imposing the neutral flag on Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Before the offensive against Ukraine, Russia already had limited participation in the Olympic Games due to a series of institutional doping scandals, which involved several Russian athletes and officials.

Despite abundant evidence, the Kremlin denied any organized doping system and also called the sanctions anti-Russian punitive measures.