Russia publicizes plans to stage ‘World Friendship Video games’ after 2024 Olympics
Russia plans to stage a world multi-sport occasion by relaunching the ‘World Friendship Video games’ in 2024.
After the invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been broadly banned from worldwide sport.
Nonetheless, the Worldwide Olympic Committee has really useful each international locations’ athletes are allowed to compete underneath a impartial flag.
The Friendship Video games have been first organised by the Soviet Union and eight different international locations in 1984.
They concerned states which had boycotted that yr’s summer time Olympics in Los Angeles.
Asserting plans for an occasion after the Paris Olympics, Russian sports activities minister Oleg Matytsin stated they “must be held regularly sooner or later”.
“We suggest to accentuate the apply of holding competitions in an open format with the invitation of accomplice international locations,” he stated in an announcement on the Kremlin web site.
As a part of the IOC’s sanctions on Russia and its ally Belarus, no worldwide sporting occasions could be organised in both of the nations, whereas their flags, nationwide anthems or every other nationwide image should not be used.
Some Olympic sports activities corresponding to archery, canoeing and taekwondo have allowed athletes from the 2 international locations to compete, whereas Russian and Belarusian athletes compete as neutrals in tennis.
The IOC is but to decide on whether or not Russians and Belarusians can compete on the Paris Video games, which run from 28 July to 11 August 2024.
Earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities minister Oleh Nemchinov stated Ukrainian athletes shouldn’t be allowed to compete in qualifying occasions for the Olympics if Russians are collaborating, whereas Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Video games.
A bunch of worldwide athletes have criticised IOC president Thomas Bach’s declare that Russians and Belarusians competing as neutrals of their sport “works”.
