Canadian Sports Minister Pascale St-Onge said the federal government does not believe it is possible for Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete in the next Olympics.
St-Onge made the comment Thursday, in response to an open letter signed by 42 retired Canadian Olympians the day before.
The letter urges the Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) not to allow Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral banner at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The declaration was signed by great Canadian Olympians and gold medalists, such as Hayley Wickenheiser, Jennifer Heil, Alexandre Bilodeau, Tessa Virtue and Beckie Scott.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were banned from international competition following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, which Belarus supported.
St-Onge says the COC and the federal government believe there is no reason to revisit the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes because the war is still ongoing.
In a press release, the COC reacted to the position of the Canadian government.
“The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) stands in solidarity with Ukraine and, aligned with the Government of Canada and the international community, condemns the Russian and Belarusian invasion of Ukraine.
“We value the opinions and concerns raised by the athletes in today’s letter and have offered to speak with several of the signatories on numerous occasions over the past few months to discuss their views and clarify our position, including through a special meeting of the COC’s Board of Directors called for this purpose.
“Our position, which has been the same for a year, is that we support the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sport as long as the invasion continues.
“This position aligns with the recent declaration, signed by Canada and more than 30 other countries, which calls for the continuation of the ban in the absence of clarity and concrete details on an achievable model of neutrality. »