IOC President Bach Thanks Macron For His Statement On Russians' Admission To Events - IOC

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 09th June, 2023) International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Thursday thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for his statement regarding the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international sports events, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024, the IOC said.

"The President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, was welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday at the Élysée Palace in Paris. The two leaders discussed the preparations for the Olympic Games Paris 2024, which are going extremely well ... President Bach thanked President Macron for the recent declaration at the G7 Summit in Hiroshima, Japan, concerning the autonomy of sport and the conditions for the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarussian passport, in alignment with the respective recommendations of the IOC," the IOC said in a statement on the website.

The sides also reaffirmed that "the decision on the participation of these athletes at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 will be taken by the IOC at the appropriate time," the IOC said, adding that the sides will continue to cooperate on the matter.

Paris will host the 2024 Olympics from July 26 to August 11, 2024. In February, Macron said a decision on the participation of Russian athletes in the games would be made this summer.

The IOC recommended in March that Russians and Belarusians should be allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes as long as they do not actively support Russia in its conflict with Ukraine or are contracted by their national military or national security agencies.

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin told Sputnik in late May that Russian athletes who are allowed to compete internationally should not boycott tournaments and called for continued dialogue with international sports organizations to protect the rights of Russian athletes.