PARIS – Ukraine’s sports minister warned on Thursday that his country could boycott the 2024 Paris Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to take part.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Wednesday it was seeking a “pathway” for Russians to take part in the Games despite the invasion of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s sports minister Vadym Goutzeit said in response such a move was “unacceptable”.

“Our position remains unchanged – as long as the war continues in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions,” Goutzeit wrote on Facebook.

“If we are not heard, I do not exclude the possibility that we will boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympics.”

Russia and its ally Belarus have been sidelined from most Olympic sports since Russian forces invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Ignoring calls from Ukraine to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Summer Games, the IOC said on Wednesday that a way to allow competitors from those countries to take part as neutrals should be “further explored”.

The IOC added that “no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport”.

Following that announcement, the Olympic Council of Asia on Thursday offered athletes from both countries the chance to compete in the 2023 Asian Games.

That is a significant move because they could gain qualifying marks in competition in Asia to allow them to take part in Paris.

The IOC’s stance was strongly criticised by Britain and Denmark on Thursday.

Britain, which has supplied military and humanitarian support to Ukraine since the invasion began, said the IOC’s move was a “world away from the reality of war”.

Britain’s Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan said: “We condemn any action that allows President Putin to legitimise his illegal war in Ukraine.”

The head of Denmark’s National Olympic Committee said his country was also strongly opposed to Russia returning to the Olympic fold.

“The Russian aggression in UKR is escalating,” Hans Natorp tweeted. “Under these circumstances, it will be unacceptable to open up for RUS and Belarusian international sports participation.

“We stand firmly in our position. Now is not the right time to consider their return.”

The mayor of Paris said, however, she was in favour of Russian athletes competing at the 2024 Games, providing they did so as neutrals.

“I think that it’s a sporting moment and we shouldn’t deprive athletes of the competition,”

“I think, and what I’m arguing for, as is a large part of the sporting world, is that there isn’t a delegation under the Russian banner,” Anne Hidalgo told France 2 television on Thursday.

She suggested they compete under a “neutral banner”, like the IOC suggested.

Paris organisers have no say on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

The IOC said on Wednesday that the international federation for each Olympic sport was “the sole authority for its international competitions”. AFP