IOC President responds to Ukraine's threats to boycott 2024 Olympics if Russia participates

Spiegel reported on the statement. 

According to the President of the International Olympic Committee, the statement about the boycott of the 2024 Olympics, made by the President of Ukraine's National Olympic Committee Vadym Gutzeit, "is not in line with the mission" of the IOC.   

"Ukraine's boycott threatened by Vadym Gutzeit is not in line with our mission. We know the point of view of Ukraine, which wants to isolate Russia not only as a state, but also wants to completely isolate all Russians. Individual athletes should not be discriminated against by exclusion, even if countries are in a state of conflict," Bach said during the Luge World Championships in Oberhof, Germany. 

He added that he wants Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag at the Paris Olympics.  

"Eliminating athletes based on their passport does not correspond to the values and mission of the Olympic Charter. It is possible that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete under a neutral flag at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris," Bach added. 

Earlier, Russians and Belarusians received invitations to the 2023 Asian Games, where licenses for the 2024 Olympics will be drawn. 

• On January 27, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the neutral flag of Russian athletes was stained with blood and invited Thomas Bach to Bakhmut.