Honored coach of Russia in athletics Sergei Epishin said that if the Russians were admitted to the 2024 Olympics, their selection on the basis of their attitude to the special operation would become an unacceptable condition for Russia.
He expressed this opinion in an interview with Izvestia.
According to him, the probability of admitting Russians to the 2024 Games is quite high, but it is worth paying attention to the conditions that the IOC may impose on athletes.
“I have a certain optimism that we will be allowed. Formally, they will give us the opportunity to qualify and compete at the Olympics. The only question is what conditions they will put forward in this case.– said Epishin.
He added that the athletes may be given a condition – to express their position on a special military operation.
“It will be one of the unacceptable conditions”he noted.
According to him, the IOC itself currently takes a controversial position. Its head, Thomas Bach, on the one hand, assures that the organization is ready to see the Russians at the Olympics, but on the other, puts forward conditions that will be impossible to fulfill.
Earlier, Bach admitted that Russian and Belarusian athletes would compete at the Olympics under a neutral flag. According to him, the removal of athletes on the basis of their passports is not in line with the values of the Olympic Charter.
At the same time, he said earlier that Russian athletes who condemn the special operation could be allowed to compete in a neutral status.
