One after another, Russian athletes refuse to participate in the Paris Olympics Opposition to the IOC 

Russian athletes are declaring their absence one after another in protest against the International Olympic Committee (IOC) decision that Russian athletes should only compete as “individual neutral athletes” in the 2024 Paris Olympics. . According to the Interfax news agency on the 18th (local time), Russian swimming star Evgeny Lilov (27) told the local sports channel Match TV the previous day, “I made a wise decision,” and “All the nonsense will end on the floor.” “I will not participate in the Olympics until it sinks and our waters are clean again,” he said.The IOC criticized Russia, which is carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine, and the Belarusian athletes who are assisting it at the Paris Olympics. It was decided to participate only through qualifications. Individual neutral players must not use their country’s flag, sing the national anthem at award ceremonies, or participate in team competitions. Additionally, athletes working in the military or security agencies of the two countries are also prohibited from competing.

Lilov is a leading Russian swimming athlete who won gold medals in the men’s 100m backstroke and 200m relay and a silver medal in the 800m relay at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.He attended a concert commemorating the 8th anniversary of the annexation of Crimea in March of last year, immediately after the outbreak of the special military operation in Ukraine, and expressed support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, he was banned from competition for nine months by the International Federation of Aquatics (FINA).Russian sports media Sport Xpress criticized FINA for applying the most discriminatory conditions to Russian athletes among international sports organizations, but assessed that with Lilov’s recent skills, it may be 무료슬롯게임 difficult for him to reach the podium at world competitions.