Great Britain among 35 countries demanding Russian athletes banned from Olympics

10 February 2023 , 19:01

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Great Britain are among the countries demanding Russia and Belarus are banned from the Paris Games

Great Britain are in "unanimous" agreement with other major Olympic countries that Russian and Belarusian athletes must be banned from the Paris 2024 Games.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is now "exploring a pathway" to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus - whose troops are actively invading Ukraine - to compete under a neutral flag at next summer's Games.

But that move has been slammed by Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky, who has claimed the IOC would be showing the globe that 'terror is somehow acceptable' if athletes from the two countries are allowed to compete.

And 35 nations have shown their support for besieged Ukraine at an emergency summit on Friday by demanding Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the Games.

The summit - chaired by new culture secretary Lucy Frazer - was called after the IOC signalled its intentions to open the door for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in a neutral capacity in Paris.

Klitschko warns Olympics chief will be 'accomplice to war' over Russia decision

And in the online meeting attended by ministers from 35 Olympic nations, including the United States, Canada, Germany and Australia, it was declared by Lithuanian sports minister Jurgita Siugzdiniene that all the countries are already united in demanding a ban.

Ukraine have threatened to boycott the Games if the IOC rules that Russians and Belarusians can compete in a neutral capacity, but Siugzdiniene does not believe that option will be necessary amid mounting pressure on the organisation.

Newly appointed culture secretary Lucy Frazer chaired Friday's summit (Wiktor Szymanowicz/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

"We are going in the direction that we would not need a boycott because all countries are unanimous," Siugzdiniene said.

President Zelensky had made a passionate opening address to the summit via video link in Friday's meeting. "If there's an Olympics sport with killings and missile strikes, you know which national team would take the first place," he said. "Terror and Olympism are two opposites, they cannot be combined."

And Frazer has confirmed Britain's stance, tweeting: "It was a very productive meeting between 35 nations, and I made the UK's position very clear: as long as Putin continues his barbaric war, Russia and Belarus must not be represented at the Olympics."

Ben Parsons