No final decision made yet on participation of Ukrainian athletes in Paris Olympics – Gutzeit
President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC) Vadym Gutzeit, who is also the Youth and Sports Minister of Ukraine, said that no final decision has been made yet regarding the participation of Ukrainian athletes in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics.
"As of today, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has not officially invited Russia and Belarus to participate in the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics. No decision has been made yet on allowing the athletes from these two countries to compete under a neutral flag. The National Olympic Committee of Ukraine continues consultations with the subjects of Olympic movement on the issue of participation of the Ukrainian team in the Olympics in case of admission of representatives of the aggressor countries. We are working to take into account all possible aspects of this unprecedented situation. The final decision will be made when all relevant factors are considered," the press service of the NOC quoted him as saying.
Currently, Ukrainian athletes take part in the qualifying events for the Olympics only if Russian and Belarusian athletes are admitted by international federations as individual neutral athletes with the observation of strict conditions of neutrality set by each of them.
"Many international federations back the position of non-admission of athletes from the countries mentioned above to competitions, and the NOC of Ukraine strongly supports this position," it said.
As reported, on August 14, Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal said that Ukraine is ready to boycott the Olympics in Paris if Russia and Belarus are allowed to participate.