Letter The IOC, Thirteen Countries Ask For An Explanation Of The Netral Status Of Russian And Belarusian Athletes Regarding The 2024 Paris Olympics

JAKARTA - The government of more than 30 countries has asked for clarification from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday regarding the neutral status of Russian and Belarusian athletes ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Russia and its Belarusian allies, which allowed its territory to be used as a launch pad when Moscow began an invasion of Ukraine last February, have been ruled out of most Olympic sports since the war began.

The International Olympic Committee said it was exploring a "path" to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag, sparking Ukraine's anger.

But in a joint letter, dozens of countries including the United States, France, Britain, and Canada expressed concern, mainly because of "strong relations and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military".

"We have strong concerns about how worthy Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes are to compete as 'neutral'... when they are directly funded and supported by their country," the letter said.

It said in the letter, "this strong concern needs to be handled by the IOC".

The joint letter to the IOC follows a meeting this month in London which was attended by France, Britain, the United States, and Canada, among others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also spoke at the conference.

"We firmly believe that, given that there has been no change in the situation regarding Russian aggression in Ukraine... there is no practical reason to move away from exceptions to Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC," the letter said.

"As long as these fundamental issues and a lack of concrete clarity and detail regarding the applicable 'netrality' model are not addressed, we disagree that Russian and Belarusian athletes can be allowed to return to competition," the statement continued.