February 03, (THEWILL) – The United States of America has called for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be blocked from participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, unless it is absolutely clear that they are not representing their respective countries.
The White House made this announcement on Thursday, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying that the US supports the suspension of the countries’ sport national governing bodies and removing individuals connected to the Russian and Belarusian states from positions of influence in international sports federations.
The US also encouraged sports organisations to suspend the broadcasting of sports competitions into Russia and Belarus and has proposed that if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate, the use of their official flags, emblems, and anthems should be prohibited.
This comes as Ukraine continues its year-long war with Russia and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the IOC to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympics.
However, last week, the IOC released a statement saying that “no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport,” and proposed that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as “neutral athletes.” The U.S. stance on the matter is seen as a way to put pressure on the IOC to take a stronger stance against the two countries, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
