the OCA said<\/a> on Thursday in response to the IOC statement.<\/p>\n“The OCA believes in the unifying power of sport and that all athletes, regardless of their nationality or the passport they hold, should be able to compete in sports competitions. The OCA has offered to give eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to take part in competitions in Asia, including the Asian Games.<\/em> <\/p>\n“The OCA remains on standby as the IOC continues to explore with International Federations the pathway for the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes’ participation in competition under strict conditions<\/em>.”<\/p>\nThe invitation comes in spite of Ukrainian requests to prohibit the inclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from Olympic competition. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said earlier this week in a telephone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russians have “no place<\/em>” at the Paris Olympics next year.<\/p>\nRussia, as well as Belarus, has been largely absent from international sports over the past eleven months following sanctions imposed by the IOC which were subsequently adhered to by several other global sporting federations.<\/p>\n
However, more recently IOC President Thomas Bach said that, while he believes sanctions should continue against the governments of Russia and Belarus, the Olympic Charter dictates that it should “respect the rights of all athletes to be treated without discrimination<\/em>.”<\/p>\nThe Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, China from September 23 to October 8.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The IOC has said a pathway is being explored for Russians to qualify for the Paris Olympics in 2024 Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been invited to compete at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this year despite both countries’ ongoing isolation from several major international sporting events, the…<\/p>\n
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