Amélie Oudéa-Castéra, the Minister of Sports, the Olympic Games, and the Paralympic Games, expressed her deep disagreement with Russia’s strong reaction following the announcement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from marching in the opening ceremony of the Paris Games.
The Minister criticized Russia’s reaction as grotesque and accused the IOC of moving away from its declared principles and into racism and neo-Nazism. Maria Zakharova, the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, condemned the decisions as shocking and grotesque.
Oudéa-Castéra emphasized that Russian and Belarusian athletes must meet specific criteria to compete under a neutral banner, including not supporting Russia’s aggression in Ukraine or having connections to the military or government agencies. She clarified that there will be no Russian delegation or state marching in the opening ceremony.
Overall, Oudéa-Castéra defended the decisions made by the IOC and the IPC and reaffirmed the importance of upholding the principles of the Olympic Games.
