LAUSANNE (Switzerland): The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday urged Ukraine to provide its athletes with the opportunity to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics, even in light of the partial ban restricting competition against Russian and Belarusian athletes.
Thomas Bach, the President of the IOC, expressed the organisation's commitment to supporting "each and every Ukrainian athlete" who expressed their desire to participate in Olympic qualifying events within their respective sports.
"We want to make it possible for every Ukrainian athlete to qualify now and participate in the Olympic Games," Bach said at the start of an IOC session.
"We will support every Ukrainian athlete in their preparation and participation in any competition they want to take part in," he said.
Back in March, Ukraine made the decision to prohibit its national sports teams from participating in Olympic, non-Olympic, and Paralympic events that involved athletes from Russia and Belarus.
Although certain individual sports have upheld the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes, Ukrainian players often find themselves competing against them, particularly in sports like tennis, where Russian or Belarusian competitors are allowed to participate as neutral athletes.
Ukraine's ban was implemented in response to the IOC causing discontent in Kyiv. The IOC's actions paved the way for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Last year, in February, Russia initiated its invasion of Ukraine, initially utilising its ally Belarus as a base for deploying troops towards Kyiv. Moscow referred to this military operation as a "special military operation."
Ukraine had previously warned its sports federations that it would strip them of their status as governing bodies if their athletes competed on the international stage with Russians and Belarusians.
Athletes from Russia and Belarus were banned from most international competitions last year following Russia's invasion.
But the IOC earlier this year recommended they return to world sport as neutrals, without flag or anthem.
No decision has yet been taken on Russian and Belarusian athletes' participation at the Paris Olympics next year.
"The entire Olympic community, the entire world is longing for Ukrainian athletes shining brightly in international competitions," Bach said.
"We want them to have the opportunity to qualify for Paris 2024. This means participating now."
(With Reuters inputs)
