French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra responded on Wednesday, January 3 to the comments made by Vladimir Putin regarding the participation of Russian athletes under a neutral banner at the Paris Games.
In mid-December, Vladimir Putin did not hold back. The Russian president stated that having Russian and Belarusian athletes compete under a neutral banner at the upcoming Paris Olympics was equivalent to “burying the Olympic movement.”
In response to Putin’s remarks, French Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra indirectly stated, “We do not care what he thinks. There are rules set by the IOC, and it is the IOC that has the authority to decide who participates and who does not.”
The minister also criticized Putin for attempting to use sports to promote the glory of his own country. She described his comments as provocative and nonsensical, particularly his remarks about ethnic discrimination.
In a decision made in early December, the International Olympic Committee authorized Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris 2024 Games under certain conditions: they must not display their country’s colors, compete under a neutral banner only, and not have actively supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As a result, there will be no Russian flag or anthem at the Paris Games this summer. A similar decision had been made by the International Paralympic Committee in September.
President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, Tony Estanguet, expressed his support for the IOC’s decision, stating that it is important to allow athletes who have no involvement with their country’s authorities to compete. He also criticized the idea of punishing athletes who are not responsible for international conflicts.
Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin denounced the “discriminatory” conditions imposed by the IOC, stating that they are detrimental to the Olympic Games themselves rather than to Russian sports. Despite this, he confirmed in early December that Russian athletes would participate in the Paris Games. Currently, according to the IOC, only eleven athletes from Russia and Belarus – eight Russians and three Belarusians – meet the qualifying criteria, compared to over sixty Ukrainians already qualified for the competition.
