President Vladimir Putin said Russian athletes should be competing at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, but added that the conditions under which they and Belarusian athletes will have to compete should be assessed.
The International Olympic Committee said last week that Russians and Belarusians who qualify for the Paris Games can take part as neutrals but must compete without their flags, emblems, anthems or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus.
Putin said if the idea was to “cut off” Russia’s leading athletes then it’s not worth going to the games.
“What does it have to do with the athletes? Let them travel, and train, and so on,” he said in the combined phone-in and press conference Thursday, in comments reported by Reuters.