The row over Russian athletes’ possible participation in the Olympic Games has intensified after the head of the International Olympic Committee said that while he shared the “grief and human suffering” of Ukrainian athletes, national governments should not decide who takes part in international sporting events.
The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has repeatedly demanded that Russian and Belarusian athletes be barred from the 2024 Olympic Games and on Friday described their potential presence in Paris as a “manifestation of violence”.
