Mayor of Paris: "As long as Russian troops continue to bomb Ukraine, I don't want Russians to participate in the Olympics"

The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, speaking at the Kyiv City Council, said that she was against the admission of Russians to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

“In a year, we will host the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. You rightly wondered about the permission that a host city could grant to athletes who are citizens of a country that commits the worst war crimes against your population. We understand you.

That is why I want to express my conviction and my will to you: as long as Russian troops continue to bomb you, target your civilian population and your infrastructure, while Russian soldiers occupy your territory, I do not want Russian athletes to participate in sports competitions.

This is my conviction as a mayor, as a political leader, as a convinced European. I have no doubt that the International Olympic Committee will be able to support this position,” Hidalgo was quoted as saying by the official telegram channel of Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko.