Kliment Kolesnikov has announced he will not be participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to what he considers to be “unacceptable” conditions set by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Despite his drea of winning an Olympic gold medal, Kolesnikov holds that he is not sad about the decision not to participate in the games. The IOC allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in the Paris Games under a neutral flag if they met certain conditions.
Kliment Kolesnikov stressed that he does not wish to compete at the Games under such conditions and he doesn’t want to be a “black sheep” among other athletes who will be participating. He feels that the situation would make it impossible for him to represent his country in a fair manner. He voiced concern about the lack of representation for Russian athletes if they were to play under a neutral flag and without an anthem.
Currently, he aims to focus on breaking new world records until the situation changes. The Russian athlete is determined to continue competing and improving his prowess as he waits for a better outcome regarding the terms set by the IOC.
