IOC has ‘last word’ on Russia inclusion

The head of the Paris Olympics organizing committee Tony Estanguet said in an interview to mark 500 days before the start of the Games that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) would have the “last word” on whether athletes from Russian and Belarus will be allowed to compete next year.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, assisted by its ally Belarus, there have been calls from across the sporting world either to ban their athletes or have them compete under a neutral flag. Last week, however, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) became the first Olympic sport to reopen events to athletes from the two nations when it decided to allow fencers to compete in Olympic qualifying events, sparking outrage in Ukraine. “The international federations are currently refining their qualifications, to know if Russian or Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate in these qualifying competitions,” Estanguet told AFP. “And then the IOC, depending on what the international federations have done, even if Russian or Belarusian athletes have qualified, will be able to say whether it will allow them to participate in these Games or not. “This decision has not been taken. And Paris 2024 is not in a position to decide.”

Estanguet said the priority, however, was not the Olympics but “how the situation can be resolved quickly and how we can best support the Ukrainian people, the Ukrainian athletes”. The three-time Olympic gold medalist said he had discussed the Russia/Belarus question with French President Emmanuel Macron. “Of course there are exchanges between us and the president of the republic, and between the president and the IOC,” Estanguet said. “Again, it is the IOC that has the last word.”