Ukraine Threaten Boycott Of Paris Olympics Over Russia Participation

The thought of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing in the 2024 Olympics in Paris was deemed “unacceptable” by Ukraine’s sports minister on Thursday, who vowed to boycott the games.

Despite the fact that Russia and Belarus have been excluded from the majority of Olympic sports since the invasion of Ukraine in February, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has stated that measures to allow athletes from those countries to participate should be “further explored.”

“Such a situation is unacceptable for our country,” Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Goutzeit said Thursday.

According to Goutzeit, Kyiv is presently exerting pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and other international organizations to get support for the exclusion of Russians and Belarusians from the Olympics.

“Our position remains unchanged — as long as the war continues in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions,” Goutzeit wrote on Facebook.

“If we are not heard, I do not exclude the possibility that we will boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympics.”