MOSCOW, April 6 Four-time biathlon world champion Frenchman Emilien Jacquelin called for the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
The Congress of the International Biathlon Union (IBU) in September decided to uphold the suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions until further notice amid the situation in Ukraine.
“I don’t have any news (about the possible return of the Russians to international competitions). But after talking with some Russian athletes, I know that this is very upsetting for them. They have nothing to do with the conflict. From the point of view of sports, I there are not enough Russians and Belarusians in the World Cup. Without these two leading nations, it is less attractive. Sport is meant to promote peace and bring people together. So in this context, I think it would be good to allow athletes to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics. This will show, that the world of sport is united, that we are above conflicts. The values of Olympism are unchanged, and this would be a great incentive for peace, «Jacquelin L'Equipe quotes.
On March 28, the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes who did not support the SVO to participate in international competitions as neutral athletes. Following the recommendations of the IOC, the decision to allow athletes in a neutral status was made by the World Taekwondo Federation (World Taekwondo) and the United World Wrestling (UWW). The International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) also announced its readiness to return the Russians to international competitions.