Mobilenews24x7 Bureau
Lausanne (Switzerland), Feb 28: The International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Executive Board (EB) on Monday recommend all international sports federations and sport event organizers around the world not to include Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions amid Russian invasion of Ukraine. In a statement it said: “In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommended that international sports federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.”
“Wherever this is not possible on short notice for organisational or legal reasons, Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colours, flags or anthems should be displayed.” The IOC also reaffirmed its full solidarity with the Ukrainian Olympic Community and expressed its gratitude to the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) and international sports federations that are already supporting Ukrainian athletes and their families. Earlier, the executive board had urged all International Sports Federations to relocate or cancel their sports events planned in Russia or Belarus.
With UNI inputs
