French five-time Olympic biathlon champion Martin Fourcade, a member of the International Olympic Committee, suggested considering the possibility of returning the Belarusian and Russian athletes to international competitions, reports TASS.
Martin Fourcade was elected a member of the International Olympic Committee on February 19, 2022. The five-time Olympic champion was granted membership of the organization as a representative of the athletes' commission of the IOC, to which he was elected by decision of the athletes participating in the Beijing Olympics.
As the athletes' representative, Fourcade said that it was necessary to consider the possibility of the return of the Belarusian and Russian athletes to the competitions. He stressed that he was elected to the IOC to protect athletes. "And it seems to me that I don't do that enough," Fourcade said.
The Frenchman noted that he would be ashamed for his country if it decided to ban Belarusian and Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics in Paris.
On January 25, the International Olympic Committee offered to allow the Russians and Belarusians to participate in international competitions under neutral status, subject to certain conditions. In early February, the IOC said that it was considering an option under which the Belarusians and Russians would be able to compete in tournaments in Asia and be selected for the Games in Paris, but participation in the Olympics is still out of the question.
