The Olympics reaffirm his solidarity with Ukraine -.

It is about 18 months until the next Olympic Games, to be held in Paris in the summer of 2024. Ahead of that international tournament, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has published a new report reaffirming its position on the ongoing war between Ukraine and Russia.

The IOC has stated that sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes and teams will remain in place. This means that no government or state officials from either country will be invited to any IOC-related accredited sporting event. To add to this, no flags, national anthem, colors or other forms of identification will also be displayed at sporting events. The IOC will also not recognize sporting events hosted by Russia or Belarus, even if they are supported by an International Federation (IF) or National Olympic Committee (NOC).

Following this, the IOC reinforced its solidarity with Ukraine, adding that it will help ensure that the country can bring a strong team to events in the near future. It will also encourage IVs, NOCs and other organizers to facilitate training and preparation for Ukrainian athletes at international events.

What the IOC has decided, however, is that Russian or Belarusian athletes should not be judged or discriminated against, and governments should not determine which events they can and cannot participate in. If an athlete from either country wants to attend, they must act as “neutral athletes” and show no sign or representation for their nation, and must show that they did not support the war in Ukraine and that they comply with the World Anti-Doping Code, and that if any of these areas are violated during individual inspections, said athletes will also be banned from future events.

Hopefully this all means that despite the current times, we can have another great Olympics when it takes place next year.