MOSCOW, May 20 Head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach said that the situation with the performance of the Russian team at the 2024 Olympics in Paris will depend on the development of the political situation, which the IOC is closely following. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that international sports federations prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions due to the situation around Russia and Ukraine. A number of international federations excluded Russians and Belarusians from competitions under their auspices, and also canceled competitions in Russia. Other federations have allowed athletes from the two countries to compete in a neutral status. «We are considering the current state of affairs step by step. Now we have adopted the recommendations that you know about. We do not know how the political situation will develop further. We hope there will be peace soon We can only monitor the situation. It is up to the political world, if the situation changes, we will take appropriate measures,» Bach said at a briefing after the 139th session of the IOC. Bach did not give a direct answer to the question of what should happen in order for Russian athletes were allowed to compete at the Olympics. «There are so many options for the development of events. If you start speculating, then there will be no end to this. Most likely, the real scenario will be different. We are monitoring the situation, holding discussions with athletes, international federations, following political changes. This is our top priority In connection with the humanitarian mission, we are working with the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and with Ukrainian athletes. regardless of whether they live in Ukraine or have gone to other countries,» Bach added.
