“We cannot make an athlete subject to the positions of his government”, believes the head of the French Olympics

The IOC must decide next March and say whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be able to participate in the Paris Olympics under the neutral banner. The head of the French Olympics said on Tuesday that he was in favor of the athlete who was “neither remotely nor directly involved in actions in support of the war”.

“The objective is naturally that we do not politicize sport” declared on franceinfo Tuesday evening, December 5, David Lappartient, the president of the French National Olympic and Sports Committee. Earlier today, representatives of international federations and national Olympic committees called for the admission as soon as possible of Russian and Belarusian athletes for the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, under the neutral banner. It was during a closed meeting at the headquarters of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne. The IOC will have the last word, the decision is expected in March.

“The fundamental message of the Olympic movement is to create peace through sport in a world today very divided, where we see wars almost everywhere. It is a message of hope that the we want to wear”, declared David Lappartient. He explains that the members present were in favor of the proposal in a manner “almost unanimous”estimating that the“We cannot subject an athlete to the positions of his own government.” David Lappartient insists that he has no doubts about “the ability of athletes to be together, because these are the values ​​of sport. Athletes manage to compete together, to respect each other”recalls the president of the CNOSF.

However, this participation would be “subject to a certain number of reservations”nuances the president of the CNOSF, and in particular that the athlete has not been “neither from far nor near, involved in actions supporting the war”. “This is verified”, insists David Lappartient, who takes the example of cycling since he is also president of the International Cycling Federation (UCI).

“We check everything they may have posted on social networks, what their statements were, what their actions were…” Thus, the president of the CNOSF is clear: “Athletes who are in military clubs cannot be considered neutral. Many athletes today are not eligible, so the delegation of Russian or Belarusian individual athletes will be relatively small anyway”, says David Lappartient. Another condition: that the athlete was able to “qualify normally through the qualification system”.