The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has been under pressure to ban Belarusian and Russian athletes, following the invasion of Ukraine.
The body received petitions to allow athletes from the said countries to play as neutrals.
“It is not up to governments to decide which athletes take part,” said IOC in a statement.
The organization also said that allowing governments to dictate it’s operations would be the the end of international sports.
IOC also highlighted by the United Nations Human Rights Council which advised that a blanket ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes would be discriminatory, a clear violation of human rights.
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According to the IOC website, the body is seeking neutral ground for the Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian athletes.
With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, is yet to make a final decision on their participation in next year’s event.
Vaydm Guttsait (Ukraine’s sports minister) has accused IOC of double standards for suggesting that the Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete in Paris.
The IOC criticized Ukraine for “depriving its own athletes of their chance to qualify for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and to make the Ukrainian people proud.”
It also criticized nations which supported the Ukrainian or Russian stances. The United Kingdom is among countries to have supported a ban on Russian athletes.
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With the support and respect from majority of the athletes, IOC is stern on not politicizing the sport.
