Russia has condemned the International Olympic Committee's decision to ban its athletes from the opening parade of the Paris Olympics in July, saying it goes against the Olympic ideals.
“This is, of course, a destruction of the ideals of Olympism. It is a violation of the interests of Olympic athletes,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Of course, this is completely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement and does not give a good impression to the IOC.”
The IOC announced the decision on Tuesday, saying it was a logical consequence of the fact that Russian athletes would not compete as a team but as neutral individuals, a measure imposed after the invasion of Ukraine.
The same restrictions applied to Belarus, allowing Russia to use its territory to launch an invasion in February 2022.
For the July 26 opening ceremony, instead of the usual team parade inside the stadium, thousands of athletes will travel several miles by boat down the Seine toward the Eiffel Tower.
The IOC said athletes from Russia and Belarus, which are allowed to compete in the Olympics as neutral countries, would only have the chance to “experience the Games” and possibly watch from near the river.
The IOC said around 36 neutral athletes with Russian passports and 22 neutral athletes with Belarusian passports are expected to qualify for the Paris Games.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
