The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) decided on Thursday to completely remove athletes from Russia and Belarus from the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris “as long as the aggression in Ukraine continues,” reports AFP.

>> Notice of the IOC regarding the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus at the 2024 Paris Olympics

The Council of Europe opposes the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the 2024 Olympics in Paris

In a resolution adopted during its summer session in Strasbourg this week, the Parliamentary Assembly called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and its member sports bodies to maintain the position expressed in 2022 and “ban the participation” of athletes from two countries at the upcoming Olympic Games and other major sporting events.

This resolution intervenes in the context in which the IOC plans to approve the participation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports in Paris with the status of neutral athletes.

In March, the IOC recommended reintegrating athletes from Russia and Belarus at international competitions under a neutral flag and with an individual title for athletes who did not support the war in Ukraine.

In its resolution, APCE believes that the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes is unthinkable and that they will be used as means of propaganda and will de facto prevent other athletes, especially Ukrainian ones, from participating in the Games.

According to APCE, the arguments in favor of the participation of Russians and Belarusians “do not carry sufficient weight in the face of the imperative to condemn and reject the committed atrocities and demonstrate the full and unwavering support of the international community of Ukraine”, then the war continues.

Parliamentarians of the Council of Europe believe that “elite Russian and Belarusian athletes receive salaries from the state and often join military and sports teams.”

During a PACE hearing in April, IOC representatives, including Gabi Ahrens, a former athlete and president of the athletes’ commission of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA), asked not to “judge the athletes” for the actions of their leaders.

French Minister of Sports Amelie Udaya-Castera estimated that the World Olympic Forum should make a “sovereign decision” regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games, reports Agerpres.

The Olympic Games in Paris will be held from July 26 to August 11, 2024.