Zelenskyy Condemns Neutral Athletes from Russia and Belarus in Olympics as 'Semi Sanctions'

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag at this year's Olympic Games in Paris during an interview with French media on August 1.

"If we impose sanctions, let's impose them. If these are semi-sanctions, it is better not to play with populism," Zelenskyy said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has announced that 15 Russians and 17 Belarusians will be competing in the Paris Olympics. These athletes are participating as "individual neutral athletes" solely in individual events and are prohibited from displaying any national symbols.

Zelenskyy emphasized that to effectively combat tyranny and authoritarianism, actions must be "very specific."

He remarked that Ukraine had pushed hard for the IOC to impose what he termed "semi-sanctions," which permitted the participation of Russians and Belarusians under neutral conditions.

"Look at this neutral flag, what is there? Let there be bloodstains, and then let them compete," Zelenskyy added.

This year, only 140 Ukrainian athletes will be competing in Paris, marking the smallest delegation in the country's Olympic history, according to Ukraine's National Olympic Committee (NOC). This happened as a result of the severe impact of Russia's full-scale war: athletes have been killed, injured or displaced, and many training facilities and stadiums have been destroyed.

Ukraine is participating in 23 sports, with football, breakdancing, and sport climbing making their Olympic debuts.