Russian flag cannot fly at 2024 Olympics: French president

ANKARA

The Russian flag cannot be flown at next summer’s Olympics in Paris, the French president said on Wednesday.

"Russia has no place (in the Olympics) at a time when it commits war crimes and deports children," Emmanuel Macron told French sports daily L'Equipe.

Macron expressed full trust in the Olympic committee's decisions for athletes participating in the games as individuals, referring to athletes from Russia and its ally in the war effort, Belarus, who might compete individually, not under their nations’ respective flags.

He also admitted that Russian athletes who have prepared for the games their entire lives could be victims of this situation.

On how to differentiate the athletes who support Moscow and those who are victims of it, he said: "This is the real question, and the Olympic world has something to say about it.

“This is the balancing that we must do," he added.

Paris 2024 will host next year’s Olympic Summer Games from July 26 to Aug. 11.

It will be the third time that the French capital has hosted the Games, but with a nearly century-long gap; the last time was in 1924.

Russia began its war against Ukraine in February 2022.

As part of the sanctions, Russian sports clubs and national teams were excluded from both FIFA and UEFA football competitions.

The Russian national team were previously disqualified from the UEFA Women's EURO 2022 and replaced by Portugal.

Russian clubs and teams also cannot play in international football and basketball competitions including the top-tier UEFA Champions League, Turkish Airlines EuroLeague in basketball, and next year's European football championship in Germany, the EURO 2024.

Meanwhile in tennis majors – including the French Open (Roland Garros) – Russian and Belarusian athletes have been competing under a neutral flag.