Russia declares plans to stage ‘World Friendship Video games’ after 2024 Olympics

Team ROC carry flags during the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics
The UK is amongst 36 nations to have pledged assist for an ongoing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from worldwide sport

Russia plans to stage a global multi-sport occasion by relaunching the ‘World Friendship Video games’ in 2024.

After the invasion of Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been extensively banned from worldwide sport.

Nonetheless, the Worldwide Olympic Committee has really useful each nations’ athletes are allowed to compete below a impartial flag.

The Friendship Video games have been first organised by the Soviet Union and eight different nations in 1984.

They concerned states which had boycotted that yr’s summer time Olympics in Los Angeles.

Saying plans for an occasion after the Paris Olympics, Russian sports activities minister Oleg Matytsin stated they “needs to be held frequently sooner or later”.

“We suggest to accentuate the follow of holding competitions in an open format with the invitation of accomplice nations,” he stated in a press release on the Kremlin web site.

As a part of the IOC’s sanctions on Russia and its ally Belarus, no worldwide sporting occasions will be organised in both of the nations, whereas their flags, nationwide anthems or some other nationwide image should not be used.

Some Olympic sports activities corresponding to archery, canoeing and taekwondo have allowed athletes from the 2 nations to compete, whereas Russian and Belarusian athletes compete as neutrals in tennis.

The IOC is but to decide on whether or not Russians and Belarusians can compete on the Paris Video games, which run from 28 July to 11 August 2024.

Earlier this month, Ukrainian authorities minister Oleh Nemchinov stated Ukrainian athletes shouldn’t be allowed to compete in qualifying occasions for the Olympics if Russians are collaborating, whereas Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Video games.

A bunch of worldwide athletes have criticised IOC president Thomas Bach’s declare that Russians and Belarusians competing as neutrals of their sport “works”.