The Ukrainian government has decided to boycott Olympic qualifying events in which Russian athletes are competing for the Paris 2024 Games. The decision was announced by Oleh Nemchinov, the Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, in a televised interview on Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne on Thursday. This comes after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach outlined new guidelines that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, paving the way for their participation.
Athletes from these two nations were banned from most international competitions in February 2022 after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and following the IOC executive board’s recommendation. Ukrainian skeleton star Vladyslav Heraskevych called the IOC’s decision a “slap in the face” to all Ukrainians but also stated that boycotting Paris 2024 should be left up to individual athletes. The IOC has stated that a decision on the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be made at a later stage.
The statements indicate ongoing concerns about the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sporting events following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. While the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has recently outlined new guidelines that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutrals, some countries and organizations remain opposed to their participation. The US and over 30 other countries have backed a proposed ban on these athletes, while Ukraine’s sports minister has suggested a possible boycott of the Paris 2024 Olympics. World Athletics has also reaffirmed its exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from its events.
