In a letter to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine sent on January 31, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach criticized Ukraine’s threat to boycott the Games, saying it would violate the Olympic Charter, Kyiv Independent reports.

The IOC recently gave the green light to Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics. The IOC Executive Committee agreed that “no athlete should be barred from competing solely because of their passport” but that all competitors would compete as “neutral athletes”. , assuming that they fully respect the Olympic Charter and do not actively support the war in Ukraine, The Guardian reports.

“The threat of a boycott of the Olympic Games (…) goes against the foundations of the Olympic movement and the principles we stand for,” said Bach’s letter, which German journalist Hayo Zeppelt posted on Twitter on February 9. “In this regard, the NOC of Ukraine certainly does not enjoy the support or solidarity of the vast majority of shareholders of the Olympic movement.”

Bach added in his letter to Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzeit that Ukraine’s attempt to force other countries to boycott the Games was “extremely regrettable” and that “previous boycotts did not achieve their political goals.”

The Ukrainian athletes, along with the Global Athlete initiative, criticized the decision in a joint statement, saying “the IOC continues to be on the wrong side of history” and then insisting that “sponsors, host cities and national governments must stop tolerating the IOC’s bows.” to Russia”.

Reality contradicts Bach: A huge number of countries may boycott the 2024 Olympics in Paris

Polish Sports and Tourism Minister Kamil Bortnychuk announced on Thursday that a staggering number of countries could boycott the upcoming Olympics if Russian athletes are allowed to compete.

Bortnychuk’s announcement came after Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia rejected the International Olympic Committee’s plan to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete in 2024.

Recently, Denmark also spoke against it.

Bortnychuk believes it is possible to form a coalition of 40 countries, including Great Britain, the United States and Canada, to support the blocking of the IOC’s plans.