Russian athletes, promoters of ‘ruscism’, should not take part in Paris 2024 Games - MP

Russian athletes should not participate in the Olympic Games in any capacity, being carriers of ‘ruscist’ ideology and using any athletic achievements to justify it.

Oleksandr Merezhko, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada's Committee on Foreign Policy and Interparliamentary Cooperation, stated this in a comment to Ukrinform.

"Russian athletes are carriers of ‘ruscist’ ideology, and they use any athletic achievements to justify it, so there should not be any Russian athletes at the Olympics," Merezhko said.

He emphasized that Russia would use anything as a weapon, including sports.

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"In addition, the militarization of sports is important for Russia – sports there are closely connected with the army and propaganda. That is, Russian sport is a weapon in hybrid warfare," added the head of the Committee.

He also expressed regret that the International Olympic Committee allowed Russian athletes to participate in the Games under a neutral flag.

"On the one hand, it is good that the Russian delegation will not participate in the Olympic Games, but on the other hand, it is a shame that the IOC did not go to the logical end in this matter. The Committee allowed Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics under a neutral flag,” Oleksandr Merezhko noted. “It is even worse that the IOC failed to note the fact that Russian athletes in their social media and interviews support Russian aggression against Ukraine. They should be excluded from participation in the Olympic Games because supporting aggression is not about sportsmanship, it violates the very Olympic spirit. Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee never did this."

As Ukrinform reported earlier, nearly 16 athletes from the aggressor state came to Paris for the Olympic Games to perform under a neutral flag. According to Ukraine’s Acting Minister for Sports and Youth Matvyi Bidnyi, the Russian flag is generally banned across the entire territory where the Paris 2024 Games are held.