PERM, October 21, Sergey Fuks. Minister of Sports and Tourism Belarus Sergei Kovalchuk expressed doubts that France will be able to host the Olympic Games in 2024 at the proper level amid problems with ensuring the safety of fans and athletes.
The Summer Olympics in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
“»I have worked a lot on security at many tournaments, and I have serious concerns about the security situation in France. I draw parallels from 2016, and now fans are being killed there at football. Is France capable of hosting the Games at the proper level? Very a serious question, because we are worried about our athletes who may go, there is no decision yet,” Kovalchuk said at the joint board of the sports ministries of Russia and Belarus within the framework of the “Russia is a Sports Power” forum.
In March 2023, the IOC Executive Committee recommended allowing Russians who did not support the CBO to compete as neutral athletes. At the same time, the organization proposed to deny participation to athletes associated with the armed forces or security agencies, as well as national teams in team disciplines. Most international federations have followed these recommendations; in a number of sports, Russians already compete at international tournaments as neutral athletes. Some federations are still developing criteria for the participation of athletes with Russian passports, but there are sports, in particular athletics, where Russian athletes are not allowed to participate in international tournaments.