France restricts access to 2024 Olympics for Russian, Belarusian journalists and technical support

He stated this in an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche. 

According to Darmanin, these individuals had applied for accreditation under different roles, such as media representatives, technical specialists, and physical therapy experts.

”They probably didn’t come here to commit terrorist attacks. However, aside from traditional espionage, there’s a risk they might try to access computer networks for a cyberattack,” Darmanin said.

He pointed out that while many Russian journalists were refused entry to cover the Olympics, those working for the International Olympic Committee were permitted.

French authorities reviewed 960,000 individuals planning to attend the Olympics to ensure security. Of these, 4,340 were denied entry. This group included 19 people on the Prevention of Terrorist Radicalization list, 139 on the S list (a list of individuals deemed a threat to state security), 257 radical Islamists, 181 far-left activists, and 95 representatives of far-right organizations. 

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has published a list of ”neutral athletes” from Russia and Belarus admitted to the 2024 Olympic Games. Later, Russian wrestlers, who were admitted to the 2024 Olympic Games as “neutral athletes”, refused to participate.