MOSCOW, March 27, Oleg Bogatov. Those who decided to perform in neutral status at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Russian athletes must clearly understand that in the future they will have to continue to be in the country's social society, said two-time Olympic champion in hockey Vyacheslav Fetisov.
Earlier, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, in an interview with the Arguments and Facts website, said that the decision of the Russians who will go to compete at the Games should be treated with respect, since they may not have another chance. On December 8, the IOC announced the admission of Russians to the Olympics in an individual neutral status subject to a number of criteria. The IOC Executive Committee announced on March 19 that athletes would not be required to sign additional declarations condemning SVO. At the same time, Russians are not allowed to participate in the parade of athletes at the opening ceremony of the Games. They will also not be mentioned in the medal table of the competition; for neutral athletes, the IOC has approved its own flag and anthem.
«»The topic of traveling to the Olympic Games in today's conditions is not an easy one. If this is the decision of the athletes, then they must understand that with this decision they must somehow continue to live in our society. On the other hand, it is not clear who can go to Paris. After all, most of our athletes, due to the IOC’s ostrich policy, simply could not qualify for the Games; they were not given a chance. There is also a certain injustice in this,” Fetisov said.
«Now athletes are starting to be announced for competitions, and (IOC President Thomas) Bach says that, it turns out, the IOC adheres to the principles of non-interference in their affairs. What happened before that? They trampled all the principles of the Olympic Charter and international sports federations. And now at the last moment they are giving us some kind of sop,” the agency’s interlocutor emphasized.
Earlier, the IOC said that in the 2024 Olympics, according to the most likely scenario, 36 Russian athletes will take part, and the maximum number may increase to 55. Athletes will have to sign a form with the conditions of participation in the Games in Paris. They contain a commitment to comply with the “peacekeeping mission of the Olympic movement.”