The IOC President supported the participation of Russian athletes in the Games in a neutral status

The IOC President recalled that already today Russian athletes in certain sports successfully participate in many international competitions. There were no security incidents during any of them, Thomas Bach noted. As an example, he cited tennis and cycling competitions.

The issue of the participation of Russian athletes was raised before the meeting of the IOC executive committee at the headquarters in Lausanne, Reuters reports.

Thomas Bach once again stressed that political issues should not concern sports. Athletes should not be punished for their citizenship.

"We will not be able to come up with a solution that would satisfy everyone. We may have to live with this", - the IOC president added.

It's worth reminding that after the start of the special operation, Russian athletes were suspended from participating in international competitions. Later, the head of the IOC called for the admission of Russians to participate in competitions in a neutral status. However, more than 30 countries (the European Union, as well as the USA, Canada and Japan) opposed Russian athletes taking part in the Olympics in 2024. The British authorities even called on the largest sponsors of the Olympics to put pressure on the IOC and prevent the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Games in Paris.