LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Russian and Belarusian athletes won’t be allowed to participate within the conventional parade on the opening ceremony on the Paris Olympics, the IOC stated Tuesday.
The opening ceremony on July 26 will see hundreds of athletes journey on boats down the River Seine for a number of miles (kilometers) towards the Eiffel Tower, as a substitute of the conventional parade of groups inside a stadium.
The Worldwide Olympic Committee stated athletes from Russia and Belarus who’re accepted to compete on the Olympics as neutrals could have an opportunity solely “to expertise the occasion” — probably watching from close to the river.
The IOC choice follows the Worldwide Paralympic Committee which two weeks in the past introduced a ban for its Paris opening ceremony on Aug. 28.
Russia and Belarus are barred from crew sports activities on the Olympics due to the warfare in Ukraine and the IOC has laid out a two-step vetting process for particular person athletes from these nations to be granted impartial standing. These athletes should first be accepted by the governing physique of their particular person sport after which by an an IOC-appointed overview panel.
Impartial athletes should not have publicly supported the invasion of Ukraine, or be affiliated with army or state safety businesses. It’s unclear if membership of a Russian army sports activities membership, corresponding to CSKA, shall be a motive for denying impartial standing.
The IOC stated Tuesday it expects about 36 impartial athletes with Russian passports and 22 with Belarusian passports to qualify for the Paris Video games.
A choice on whether or not these athletes shall be allowed to participate within the Aug. 11 closing ceremony shall be taken “at a later stage,” the IOC stated.
Any medals gained by impartial athletes won’t be counted as a collective group within the total medals desk.
The IOC additionally revealed particulars of the substitute flag in jade inexperienced that shall be used for impartial athletes at medal ceremonies, the place a specifically written anthem with out lyrics shall be performed.
In one other supply of stress between Olympic leaders and Russian sport, the IOC determined Tuesday that the Worldwide Boxing Affiliation led by Kremlin-backed Umar Kremlev won’t be concerned in organizing bouts for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The IOC additionally threatened to take away boxing from the Los Angeles program in what appeared like a problem to nationwide federations worldwide to distance themselves from the IBA and Kremlev.
The IOC withdrew its recognition of the IBA final 12 months and the physique was not allowed to participate in organizing boxing on the earlier Tokyo Olympics or in Paris. However Kremlev has additional riled the IOC with confrontational feedback and help for the rival Friendship Video games scheduled in Russia in September.
“If we would not have a brand new boxing physique to work in partnership with the IOC, we won’t be ready to have boxing on the program of (Los Angeles),” the Olympic physique stated.
___
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games