President Emmanuel Macron spoke on RMC and BFMTV on Monday, April 15, expressing his hopes for an “Olympic truce” during the upcoming Paris Olympics. This comes amid ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as between Israel and Hamas.
"We are working towards the Olympic truce, and I believe this is an opportunity to involve many of our partners," he declared to BFMTV.
Macron mentioned that he would seek assistance from Chinese President Xi Jinping, who will be visiting Paris in a few weeks. He noted that President Xi had engaged in similar efforts during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
A Diplomatic Moment
Macron stressed that the 2024 Olympic Games should serve as “a moment of diplomatic peace.”
“This is also where the Olympics, from a diplomatic perspective, can accomplish a lot,” he added.
Regarding participation, Macron noted that Russian athletes would compete under a neutral banner due to ongoing sanctions following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
In March, John Coates, Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), mentioned that approximately forty Russian athletes might participate under this neutral banner.
"There will be no (Russian) athletes in team sports because they cannot compete as the Russian team," he was quoted as saying in Sydney's Daily Telegraph.
The IOC clarified last December that Russian and Belarusian athletes would only be allowed to participate in events if they have not actively supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
