Ukraine's Foreign Ministry has called the decision of the International Olympic Committee's Executive Committee to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions in a neutral status a mistake. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the IOC plans to release athletes who are likely to be directly involved in crimes against Ukraine to sports arenas. UNN reports this with reference to the statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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It is noted that the Ukrainian side has been communicating to the Olympic Committee and international partners the risks of the decision to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in competitions in a neutral status
As the Foreign Ministry pointed out, Belarusian and especially Russian athletes often represent sports organizations associated with the armed forces of the Russian Federation. Some of them are on active duty in the Russian military, and some of them wear symbols of Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine on their sports uniforms.
The IOC plans to release athletes who not only sympathize with the murders of Ukrainian women and children, but are likely to be directly involved in these terrible crimes to international sports arenas
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As Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba stated, the IOC has effectively "given Russia the green light to create weapons at the Olympics." There is no doubt that the Kremlin will use every Russian and Belarusian athlete as a weapon in its propaganda war, the report says.
Moscow will not be raising white neutral flags at the competition, as the IOC represents, but will be demonstrating the triumph of its ability to avoid responsibility for the unleashing of the largest armed conflict in Europe since World War II. The members of the International Olympic Committee Executive Committee who made this decision are responsible for encouraging Russia and Belarus to continue their armed aggression against Ukraine, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
To recap
On December 8, the International Olympic Committee allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games. They will compete under neutral status.