“As a last option, but I note that this is my personal opinion, if we do not succeed, then we will have to boycott the Olympic Games,” said Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Huttsait about allowing Russian athletes to compete at the 2024 Olympics.
on Thursday he believed a coalition of “over 30 or maybe 40” countries may support calls to bar athletes from Russia and Belarus, its ally in the war, by the end of next week.“I’m convinced that a meeting that is planned for Feb. 10 will reach a conclusion of over 30 or maybe 40 sports ministers, including those from the U.S., UK, Canada, Australia and Japan, to decisively reject the idea to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in the Games,” he said.
Support for that position intensified throughout this week as European political leaders have backed a ban against Russian athletes, even, in some cases, if they participate as “neutral” competitors without the country’s flag.As Poland and the Baltic nations on Thursday called on international sports bodies to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, Bortniczuk, the Polish politician, said he believes it will be possible to bolster support for that position over the next week.
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