US backs blocking Russia and Belarus from 2024 Olympics as war rages in Ukraine

If the International Olympic Committee allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate, the use of official Russian or Belarusian flags, emblems or anthems should be banned, Jean-Pierre said during his Thursday press briefing.

In recent weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has urged the International Olympic Committee to ban athletes from both countries from participating in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris. But last week the IOC released a statement saying ‘No athlete should be prevented from competing solely because of their passport’, and proposing that participants from Russia and Belarus can compete as ‘neutral athletes’. .