IOC discusses on the 19th whether athletes from Russia and Belarus will attend

Paris Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Tony Estangue (center) is holding a joint press conference with IOC officials in Saint-Denis, northern Paris, France, on the 8th (local time).

Whether athletes from Russia and Belarus will participate in the opening ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics will be reviewed at the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Committee meeting on the 19th.

Paris Olympic Organizing Committee Chairman Tony Estangue held a joint press conference with the IOC in Saint-Denis, a northern outskirt of Paris, France, on the 8th (local time) and said, "As of now, Russian or Belarusian athletes have not been banned from attending the opening ceremony," Reuters reported. reported.

Reuters reported that this issue is scheduled to be discussed at the IOC Executive Committee to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland on the 19th.

However, it is unclear whether a final decision will be made on the same day.

In early December last year, the IOC confirmed the criteria for participation in the Paris Olympics for athletes from Russia, which invaded Ukraine, and Belarus, a country that assisted the invasion.

Athletes from both countries can participate only as 'individual neutral players', and there are conditions that they must not be related to their country's military activities and must not actively express support for the war in Ukraine.Participating in team competitions, using one's national flag, or playing the national anthem are prohibited in competitions.

Athletes from both countries must also participate in the Paralympic Games, which will be held from August 28 to September 8, as individual neutrals.

On the 6th, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) ruled that athletes from both countries cannot even participate in the parade at the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games.

At the press conference that day, Chairman Estanghe announced the specific time that the Olympic opening ceremony would begin at 7:30 p.m. on July 26.

He said, “This event took full advantage of the natural light outside and adjusted the time of the event to end at night so that people could enjoy the different atmospheres of downtown Paris.”Sunset time in Paris at the end of July is expected to be around 9:50 p.m. 19가이드03