IOC, French President Emmanuel Macron reject call to boycott Israel – Firstpost

The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday rejected a Palestinian request to exclude Israel from the Paris Games because of the war in Gaza. As the Israeli team settled into the athletes’ village, the IOC considered a letter from the Palestinian Olympic Committee requesting Israel’s exclusion, citing the bombing of the besieged Gaza Strip as a violation of the Olympic truce.

The letter, sent days before Friday’s opening ceremony, “underlines that Palestinian athletes, particularly those from Gaza, are being denied safe passage and have suffered greatly as a result of the ongoing conflict.”

Full coverage of the Paris Olympics: Click here for news, schedule, explanations and more

“Around 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed and the destruction of sports facilities worsens the situation for athletes who are already under severe restrictions,” he added.

But IOC President Thomas Bach said he would not allow himself to be drawn into “political matters”.

Paris 2024 Olympics: Israeli Olympic athletes to benefit from 24-hour protection

“The IOC’s position is very clear. We have two National Olympic Committees, that’s the difference with the political world, and in this respect the two coexist peacefully,” he said at a press conference in Paris.

“The Palestinian National Olympic Committee has benefited greatly from this. Palestine is not a recognized member state of the UN, but the National Olympic Committee is a recognized National Olympic Committee that enjoys the same rights and opportunities as all other National Olympic Committees.”

The Palestinian appeal underscores the impact that the rising death toll in Gaza – 39,090, according to the latest estimate by the Hamas-run health ministry – and the growing humanitarian crisis are having on the Paris Games.

Some left-wing French politicians have also called for Israeli athletes to be excluded in the same way that Russian and Belarusian athletes were deprived of the right to compete under their national colours due to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

“Israeli athletes are welcome in our country,” French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday.

“They must be able to compete under their colours because the Olympic movement has decided so,” he said on France 2, adding that it was “France’s responsibility to ensure their safety.”

“I condemn in the strongest terms all those who create risks for these athletes and implicitly threaten them,” he said.

“Best village”

Competitors flocked to the Olympic Village, north of Paris, with national flags hanging from many windows.

Some of the biggest names set to perform at the Olympics – American gymnast Simone Biles and Spanish tennis pair Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz – have been spotted in the village.

Reviews of food and accommodation were generally positive, but some people reported issues with transportation to and from sports venues.

“Usually at the Olympics, transport takes a bit of time to get going,” Tom Craig, a forward for the Australian ice hockey team, told AFP.

“We’ve heard of some teams going to the wrong venue, but it’s never happened to us. One day we got a bit lost, but it went well.”

U.S. gymnastics coach Sam Mikulak, a veteran of four Olympics, hailed the village as the best he’s seen.

“Ten out of 10. It’s the best setup, the best fitness space (gym), very organized,” he told AFP.

Paris 2024 Olympics: Are Olympic beds anti-sex? Athletes conduct experiments

Meanwhile, as organizers put the finishing touches to the opening ceremony on the Seine, videos posted online showing American pop star Lady Gaga in Paris sparked rumors she would be among the performers.

The schedule for the ceremony, the first in which the Summer Olympics will be held outside the main stadium, has not yet been fully announced.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said she hoped the weather would be good for the ceremony after Tuesday’s rain.

“We don’t make the weather, so we’ll be anxiously waiting to see what happens on July 26, but we’ll deal with it and it will be an exceptional Games,” she told reporters.