The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Canada supported the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral status. This was announced on Thursday, February 2, by the head of the Canadian NOC, David Shoemaker.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee continues to support the February 2022 IOC recommendation that athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus should not be invited or allowed to compete in international competitions. But we recognize that the decision to exclude athletes solely because of their nationality is also contrary to the basic principles of the Olympic movement, ”The Canadian Press quoted him as saying.
Shoemaker also expressed his readiness to consider possible concessions for athletes who meet the requirements of the IOC Executive Committee of January 25, 2023.
Earlier in the day, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre stressed that if participants from the Russian Federation and Belarus are admitted to international competitions, the use of official state flags, coats of arms and anthems should continue to be prohibited.
At the same time, it became known that the IOC had not yet made a decision about the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Olympic Games in 2024 and at the moment does not undertake to assess the likelihood that this will happen.
Meanwhile, the organizers of the Paris Olympics said they would follow the decisions of the IOC regarding the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international events. They also noted that they wish “the competitions to be held in the spirit of peace and respect for the values of brotherhood and solidarity.”
In turn, the desire to return Russian athletes to international competitions was also supported by the head of the US Olympic Committee (USOPC), Jean Sykes, but only if it is possible to ensure that only neutral and “clean” participants are admitted to tournaments. He also stressed that the spirit of the Olympic Games would then prevail.
Prior to that, on January 29, the IOC approved the concept of the performance of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag. Representatives of the committee said that this format is supported by the vast majority of participants in the Olympic movement. In addition, it has already been tested during the Australian Open tennis championship.
