Amid calls from Ukrainian officers to ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic summer time video games, the White Home has issued an announcement saying it agrees with the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) coverage of permitting the 2 international locations to compete beneath a impartial flag.

“In instances the place sports activities organizations and occasion organizers, such because the Worldwide Olympics Committee, select to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in sporting occasions, they needs to be completely clear that they don’t seem to be representing the Russian or Belarus states,” Biden press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated Thursday.

She added that “using official state Russia and Belarus flags… needs to be prohibited as effectively.” The IOC final week had dominated that this would be the coverage transferring ahead because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

However Kiev has constantly demanded that it is for Russia to endure “full isolation” on the world stage, together with at worldwide sporting occasions. President Zelensky in a December telephone name with IOC president Thomas Bach requested that Russia not even be capable to take part as a impartial group.

“Since February, 184 Ukrainian athletes have died because of Russia’s actions,” Zelensky stated within the name. “One can’t attempt to be impartial when the foundations of peaceable life are being destroyed and common human values are being ignored.”

Bach had defended the committee’s the place that “Athletes can’t be punished for acts of their authorities so long as they don’t contribute or assist it.” He defined, “What we by no means did and we by no means wish to do is prohibiting athletes from taking part in sports activities solely due to their passport.”

Primarily based on the most recent IOC ruling, neither Russian nor Belarusian officers will probably be allowed to attend the video games, and primarily all Russian or Belarusian nationwide shows will probably be banned.