Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has said she hopes
that Russian athletes will be banned from participating in the 2024 Olympic
Games to be held in the French capital this summer, Reuters reported on
March 13.
“I prefer that they don't come,” said Hidalgo.
“We cannot act as if [Russia's invasion of Ukraine] did not exist. We could not act as if [Russian leader Vladimir] Putin was not a dictator who today threatens the whole of Europe.”
Currently, Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed to compete under their countries' flags, but they are permitted to participate under a neutral banner in the upcoming 2024 Summer Olympics.
At its next session, the International Olympic Committee, which makes such decisions, is set to discuss the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the opening ceremony.