No Russian, Belarusian equestrians in Paris 2024 Olympics, says FEI
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The measures prohibiting participation of athletes from the two countries remain in place going into 2024.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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PARIS – Russian and Belarusian equestrian athletes will not be able to participate at the 2024 Paris Olympics, even as neutral athletes, the sport’s global governing body said.
Earlier in December, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the participation of Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the 2024 Olympics as neutrals without flags, emblems or anthems.
Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022,
The International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) prohibited Russian and Belarusian athletes, horses and officials from participating in its events soon after the conflict began.
“According to the Olympic qualification systems for equestrian, individual qualification is secured through the FEI Olympic Rankings... from Jan 1, 2023 to Dec 31, 2023,” the FEI said on Dec 21.
“Since Russian and Belarusian athletes have not competed in FEI events since March 2, 2022, no representatives of these nations will take part in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.”
The measures prohibiting participation of athletes from the two countries remain in place going into 2024, the FEI said.
“No FEI events organised in Russia and Belarus can be entered in the FEI calendar for 2024,” the statement added.
The FEI has followed in the footsteps of World Athletics, which has also banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing at the Paris Games.
World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe last week said: “We made a judgment which we believe was in the best interest of our sport.”
However, he added that “the world changes every five minutes, (so) the situation could change”.
The Briton said: “We do have a working group that is monitoring the situation within the sport and it will advise and guide the council on what circumstances might need to exist for any exclusion to be lifted.”
The IOC justified its decision earlier in December, saying: “The view of the overwhelming majority of athletes is not to punish fellow athletes for the actions of their government.
“Among the 4,600 athletes from around the world who have qualified for Paris 2024 so far, there are only 11 individual neutral athletes (eight with a Russian passport plus three with a Belarusian passport).
“In comparison, to date, more than 60 Ukrainian athletes have qualified for Paris 2024.”
However, both Russia and Ukraine have slammed the IOC’s stance.
Russia’s former sports minister Pavel Kolobkov said: “This feels like some kind of handout... when we are asked to participate under such humiliating conditions” while his successor Oleg Matytsin called the move “discriminatory”.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said: “The IOC essentially gave Russia the green light to weaponise the Olympics.
“Because the Kremlin will use every Russian and Belarusian athlete as a weapon in its propaganda warfare.” REUTERS, AFP
