Ajit Karn
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a boycott of the 2024 Olympics in Paris because Russian athletes might be there. On Friday, he said that having Russian athletes there would be a “sign of violence.”
“The mere presence of representatives of the terrorist state is a sign of violence and lawlessness,” Zelensky told a virtual summit of sports ministers led from London.
“It can’t be hidden by pretending to be neutral or flying a white flag,” Zelensky said.
Last month, the International Olympic Committee said it was looking into a “pathway” that would let Russian and Belarusian athletes compete at the Paris Olympics under a neutral flag.
Ukraine is very angry and has threatened to leave the Olympics. Zelensky said that Russian athletes have “no place” in Paris.
“If the Olympic sports were killings and missile attacks, you know which country would be first,” he said.
Zelensky said that not many Russian athletes had spoken out against the war.
“This kind of blame is almost never given,” he said. “Only a few isolated voices can be heard, but they are quickly going away.
“If Russian athletes are allowed to compete in any games or the Olympics, it will only be a matter of time before the terrorist state forces them to take part in war propaganda,” Zelensky said.
“Russia is now a place where blood gets on everything, even the white flag.”
Also read:- Ukraine claims “Massive” Missile Attacks
Zelensky said that at least 228 athletes and coaches from Ukraine died during the Russian invasion.
#BREAKING Zelensky says Russian athletes at Olympics a 'manifestation of violence' pic.twitter.com/LM1vlsFN55
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 10, 2023
Thomas Bach, the head of the International Olympic Committee, said that Ukraine’s threat to skip the Olympics was against the “principles” of the Olympic movement.
In a letter to the Ukrainian National Olympic Committee that was made public on Thursday, Bach said that it was “extremely regrettable” that Ukraine was “pressuring” other countries to skip the 2024 Paris Games.
