US Backs Banning Russia, Belarus Flags From 2024 Olympic Games
- Ukraine has asked that Russian athletes be banned from games
- White House statement aligns with olympic committee sanctions
Athletes of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, on Feb. 4, 2022.
Photographer: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty ImagesAthletes from Russia and Belarus should not compete under their nation’s flags or hear their national anthems played during medal presentations during the upcoming Olympics in Paris because of the invasion of Ukraine, the White House said Thursday.
“In cases where sports organizations and event organizers — such as the International Olympic Committee — choose to permit athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in sporting events, it should be absolutely clear that they are not representing the Russian or Belarusian states,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Thursday.