Russia attacks IOC for Olympic Games parade call

Russia has slammed a decision by the International Olympic Committee to ban its athletes from the opening parade of the Paris Olympics in July, calling it a violation of the ideal of the Games.

“This is of course the destruction of the idea of Olympism, this is an infringement on the interests of Olympic athletes,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“Of course, this is absolutely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement, and this does not paint the IOC in a good light.”

The IOC announced its decision on Tuesday, calling it a logical consequence of the fact that Russia’s athletes will be competing as neutral individuals and not as a team – a measure imposed against it following the invasion of Ukraine.

The same restrictions apply to Belarus, which allowed Russia to use its territory to launch what Moscow calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine in February 2022.

The IOC director of Olympic Solidarity and NOC Relations, James MacLeod, said at a press conference Individual Neutral Athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports would not participate in the opening parade in Paris as they were competing as individual athletes.

Likewise, the medals won by these athletes will not be shown on any table, he said.

The measures are part of the sanctions imposed by the IOC against Russia and Belarus following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Russian Olympic Committee is suspended by the IOC for having taken over sports organisations on Ukrainian territory under its control.

Meanwhile, IOC boss Thomas Bach will wait until after this summer’s Paris Olympics with an announcement whether he wants to run again in 2025 for the top job.

Germany’s Bach has presided over the IOC since 2013 and under the Olympic Charter cannot run for a third time in 2025.

But at the last IOC Session in October in Mumbai a number of IOC members asked Bach to seek another term which would require a change of the charter. The IOC has said this could be done via a postal vote.

Bach has not ruled out staying on but has also said he is loyal to the Olympic Charter.

The Paris Games are scheduled for July 26-August 11.