IOC to Decide on Russian Participation at Paris Olympics ‘at Appropriate Time’

Olympic chief Thomas Bach on Tuesday refused to give a timeline on potential Russian and Belarusian participation at subsequent 12 months’s Paris Olympics, saying a choice can be taken “at the suitable time”.

“The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions,” Bach stated after an govt board assembly of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Lausanne.

“We need to monitor the implementation of those suggestions so long as attainable… to be enabled to take an knowledgeable resolution.”

The board, he said, “did not consider it appropriate to give a timeline… no one knows what’s happening tomorrow or in nine months”.

Bach added that the “participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was not thought-about both within the consultations or in its deliberations at the moment”.

“The IOC expressly reserves the right to decide about their participation at the appropriate time, even if they would be considered to have qualified according to the qualification criteria set by their respective International Federations (IFs).

“The IOC will closely monitor the full implementation of these recommendations by all parties concerned.

“The results of this monitoring procedure will be an important factor in the decision by the IOC concerning the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.”

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