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Russian Athletes Should Not Compete In 2024 Olympics, Ukrainian President Insists

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Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky has insisted that it would be unfair if Russian Athletes are allowed to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

The leader of the country, which has been torn apart by Russian military attacks, asserted that he had discussed his concern about the Russian athletes with France president, Emmanuel Macron.

He added that it was necessary to deprive Russia of the opportunity of using the Olympics for its propaganda.

According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Russian and Belarusian athletes may compete as neutrals at the Olympics.

Ukraine has threatened to boycott Paris 2024 if Russian and Belarussian athletes are allowed to compete.

Zelensky claimed in his weekly video address that the IOC’s efforts to “welcome Russian athletes back to the Olympic Games are attempts to teach the entire world that terror is somehow acceptable.”

He went on to say that Russia must not be let to exploit the Olympics or any other sporting event as “propaganda for its aggression or its state chauvinism.”

Since “no athlete should be banned from competing solely because of their passport,” the IOC said this week that Russian and Belarusian competitors might compete as “neutral athletes.”

The athletes from his nation are losing their lives on the battlefield, according to Mr. Zelensky, so neutrality in sports is impossible.

He also made comparisons to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which was held under Nazi rule.

He noted, “There was a significant Olympic error. The Olympic movement and terrorist states should never interact.”

All weekend long, Russian forces have been pounding Kherson. The Kherson regional government reported that the area was continuously shelled on Sunday after failed attacks on Saturday.

Since the Russian invasion in February 2022, Kherson was the only regional capital to fall to Russian forces, but they were pushed into a humiliating retreat in November.