IOC president criticizes Ukraine, reports say
International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach has reportedly advised Kiev against the suggestions to boycott the Paris 2024 Games. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach has reportedly called on Kiev to stop its demands for a boycott of the Paris 2024 Games. Ukraine has asserted that permitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete would support Moscow's military actions, an accusation that the IOC has labeled as “defamatory.”
In a letter addressed to Vadim Guttsait, the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, which has been circulated by various media sources, Bach urged the authorities in Kiev to cease their threats about the upcoming Summer Games and to refrain from pressuring other nations into supporting a boycott.
Bach pointed out that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag at the 2024 Games had “not even been discussed in concrete terms yet.” He also implied that Guttsait's earlier correspondence to other National Olympic Committees (NOCs) was sent too soon, causing concern among many IOC members.
“Your letter at this premature stage to your fellow NOCs, to the International Federations, IOC Members and to future Olympic hosts, pressuring them in an attempt to publicly influence their decision making, has been perceived by the vast majority of them as, at the very least, extremely regrettable,” Bach is said to have written.
Additionally, the IOC president reminded Kiev that a boycott contravenes the Olympic Charter, which “obliges all NOCs to ‘participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.’”
Bach also condemned “defamatory statements” from some Ukrainian officials who have accused the IOC of acting as a “promoter of war, murder and destruction.” Last month, the organization refuted allegations of accepting bribes from Moscow and cautioned that such accusations would not foster “constructive discussion.”
In January, the IOC announced its consideration of allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Paris 2024 Games under a neutral flag. In response to this announcement, senior Ukrainian officials, including President Vladimir Zelensky, declared their intention to advocate for a boycott of the event. They have consistently pushed for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from any international sporting events.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
In a letter addressed to Vadim Guttsait, the president of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, which has been circulated by various media sources, Bach urged the authorities in Kiev to cease their threats about the upcoming Summer Games and to refrain from pressuring other nations into supporting a boycott.
Bach pointed out that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag at the 2024 Games had “not even been discussed in concrete terms yet.” He also implied that Guttsait's earlier correspondence to other National Olympic Committees (NOCs) was sent too soon, causing concern among many IOC members.
“Your letter at this premature stage to your fellow NOCs, to the International Federations, IOC Members and to future Olympic hosts, pressuring them in an attempt to publicly influence their decision making, has been perceived by the vast majority of them as, at the very least, extremely regrettable,” Bach is said to have written.
Additionally, the IOC president reminded Kiev that a boycott contravenes the Olympic Charter, which “obliges all NOCs to ‘participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.’”
Bach also condemned “defamatory statements” from some Ukrainian officials who have accused the IOC of acting as a “promoter of war, murder and destruction.” Last month, the organization refuted allegations of accepting bribes from Moscow and cautioned that such accusations would not foster “constructive discussion.”
In January, the IOC announced its consideration of allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the Paris 2024 Games under a neutral flag. In response to this announcement, senior Ukrainian officials, including President Vladimir Zelensky, declared their intention to advocate for a boycott of the event. They have consistently pushed for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from any international sporting events.
Olivia Brown contributed to this report for TROIB News
