MOSCOW, Mar 27 Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to take part in the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, despite the opposition of the Australian government, said the head of the Australian Olympic Committee, Matt Caroll.
“The athletes are not the instigators of this. Our position is the same as the position of the International Olympic Committee. (in Moscow. — Approx. ed.)? Many years later, the Prime Minister of Australia said that the country had made a mistake (supporting the boycott. — Approx. ed.) «, The Canberra Times quoted Caroll.
The head of the Olympic Committee added that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Brisbane Olympics will contribute to uniting the world.
In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee, due to the situation in Ukraine, recommended that international sports federations not allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to the competition. Almost a year later, on January 25, 2023, the IOC executive committee called for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral status, while proposing not to allow athletes who actively supported the special operation in Ukraine.
Governments of more than 30 countries, including Australia, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Canada and Germany, appealed to the IOC with a request to clarify the wording «neutrality», and also opposed the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.