While Hidalgo has called for a total ban on Russian athletes due to Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, she has not called for similar treatment for Israeli athletes despite the country’s offensive in Gaza.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo made clear on Wednesday her view that Russian athletes should not be allowed to participate in this year’s Olympics, which will be held in the French capital in July and August, or attend the opening ceremony.
While Hidalgo has called for a complete ban on Russian athletes due to Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, she has not called for similar treatment for Israeli athletes despite the country’s offensive in Gaza, according to Reuters.
The Paris mayor’s comments come at a time when organizers of the world’s biggest sporting event face international pressure to impose restrictions, or even suspend altogether, Russian and Israeli athletes over their ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and in Gaza.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which decides on these issues, is expected to discuss at an upcoming session the question of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the opening ceremony.
Read | Sanctioning Israel over Gaza conflict before Paris Olympics ‘out of the question’, says IOC
For now, Russian and Belarusian athletes cannot participate under their country’s flag, but are allowed to participate as neutral countries, without flags or anthems being played.
“I prefer that they don’t come,” Hidalgo said in an interview with Reuters.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) said last week that Russian and Belarusian athletes joining the Paralympics would not participate in the opening ceremony.
“We cannot act as if (Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) did not exist,” the socialist mayor said. “We cannot act as if (Vladimir) Putin was not a dictator who today threatens the whole of Europe.”
Asked about Israel’s participation in the Olympics as the war in Gaza rages after the Hamas attack on October 7, Hidalgo said there was no comparison with Russia.
“Sanctioning Israel in relation to the Olympics and Paralympics is out of the question,” she said, “because Israel is a democracy.”
The IOC has not imposed any limits on the participation of Israeli athletes.
The mayor of Paris has confirmed that before the Olympics, a ceremony will commemorate the victims of the attack on Israeli athletes and team members during the 1972 Munich Olympics.
With contributions from Reuters
