French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that Russian flags should not be present at the Paris Olympics scheduled to be held next year, adding that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide on the participation of Russian athletes.

“Of course, there can be no Russian flag during the Paris Games, I think there is a consensus on that matter. Because Russia, as a country, is not welcome at a time where it has committed war crimes and deported children,” Macron told a French daily.

The remarks come after Ukraine threatened a boycott of the Paris Olympics in case of Russian and Belarusian participation. However, the Ukrainian side are expected to relent if the war allies compete under a neutral flag rather than national colours.

On the participation of Russian athletes in the 2024 Games, Macron said that the issue should not be politicised and that Ukrainians should be involved in IOC meetings on the matter.

Despite confrontations between Russia and Ukraine over Moscow’s invasion last year, many Ukrainian athletes have opined that the current blanket ban on competing against Russians is tantamount to a “self-inflicted wound” that will damage the careers of aspiring sports stars.

The Paris Olympics is scheduled to begin on the 26 July 2024 and will end on the 11th of August 2024.

Earlier this year, the IOC made it clear that it wants Russians to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes, in defiance of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s call to exclude them entirely. Citing a “unifying mission” during a time of war, the International Olympic Committee said no athlete should face discrimination based only on the passport they held.

“A pathway for athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions should therefore be further explored,” the IOC said in a statement published after an executive board meeting. Russia was not directly condemned in the statement though athletes who have been “actively supporting the war in Ukraine” face being excluded from the Paris Olympics that open in 18 months’ time, the Olympics body further said.

The Russia-Ukraine war

Since Moscow initiated a full-fledged invasion into Ukraine last year, thousands of people have been killed and several cities have been destroyed. The war has dragged on for over 18 months with both sides showing no signs of relenting.

For the war, Russia has also used Belarusian territory as a staging ground for their attack on Kyiv earlier in the war. Belarus has also been supplied with Russian nuclear weapons, with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin threatening to use them in case their interests are sabotaged.

In the latest confrontation, at least 16 people were killed as Russia launched another shelling attack at a Ukrainian city on Wednesday. The deadly attack came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken visited Kyiv and was expected to announce more than USD 1 billion in new American funding.

Twenty shops, power lines, administrative building and the floor of an apartment building were damaged, according to the prosecutor general’s office. 

Meanwhile, Blinken arrived in Kyiv for an overnight visit hours after Russia launched a missile attack on the city. He was expected to meet with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other top officials to discuss the ongoing counteroffensive and reconstruction efforts. On the train journey to Kyiv, Blinken met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, also on an official visit, to discuss the war.

Blinken’s visit comes after some of Ukraine’s allies have privately expressed concern that Ukrainian troops may fail to reach their objectives. While the US has been concerned by some day-to-day battlefield setbacks, US officials said, they are still generally encouraged by Ukraine’s handling of the military situation, particularly its air defence capabilities in knocking down Russian drones aimed at Kyiv.

(with Reuters inputs)

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