Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, October 19, said that Russia has learnt that the Olympics can be used as a tool of political pressure and ethnic discrimination. “The Games can be used as an instrument of political pressure against people who have nothing to do with politics. And as gross and in fact ethnic discrimination,” Putin said.
The Russian Olympic Committee has been banned by the International Olympic Committee for recognising regional organisations from four territories that Russia said it had annexed from Ukraine.
Although the IOC said the Olympic committees of Russia and Belarus would not receive an official invitation to the Paris Games like other countries later this month, a decision on their participation would be made at a later date.
Meanwhile, the chief of the organising committee for the Paris 2024 Olympics has said the war between Israel and Hamas will not affect the security plans for next year’s Olympic Games in France.
The Paris olympics is all set to take place from 26 July to 11 August, 2024.
(Input from Reuters)