The International Olympic Committee has criticised Ukraine’s decision not to allow Ukrainian athletes to take part in qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Olympics if they have to compete against Russians, saying this will hurt only Ukrainian sport and its athletes.
Ukrainian government minister Oleh Nemchinov announced the policy on Friday after the IOC issued recommendations on Tuesday for the gradual return to international competition for Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals.
Athletes from the two countries have been banned from most elite international sporting competitions since March 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine the previous month.
The IOC is to make a separate decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Paris Games at a later date. Ukraine has threatened to boycott the games if Russians are allowed to compete there.
