Warning against provocative actions against Russians during the 2024 Paris Olympics

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Director of the Consular Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry Alexei Klimov warned of the possibility of provocations against Russians during the Summer Olympics in Paris.

“The current French authorities are following a generally unfriendly course towards our country, and the French media are strongly influenced by aggressive Russophobia, which cannot but have a negative impact on the general atmosphere in France regarding Russia and its citizens,” Klimov said.

According to him, “the statements of the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, that Russian athletes will not be welcomed” indicate sentiments spread by official institutions.

The Russian diplomat noted that "such a situation, of course, creates fertile ground for the emergence and activation of all kinds of anti-Russian provocateurs."

President of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation, Vasily Titov, assessed the risks that his country's athletes who want to go to the 2024 Olympic Games may face.

According to Titov, Russian athletes take a big risk when going to the Games in Paris due to possible provocations, saying: “I do not doubt for a moment that the Ukrainian side will not miss this. At the same time, international federations completely reject any support and protection for these athletes.”

The head of the Russian Fencing Federation, Ilgar Mammadov, also said that the conditions for Russians' admission to the 2024 Olympics are similar to apartheid in the United States. He pointed out that "just like before in the United States, there were signs saying: 'Only whites are allowed to enter.' Dark-skinned people (negroes) and dogs are not allowed to enter.”

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova called the head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, the leader of the anti-Russian uproar.

The Olympic Games are scheduled to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.

The International Olympic Committee allowed Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Olympic Games in Paris as individual neutral athletes, provided that athletes who support the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, or who have connections to the armed forces or security services in Russia and Belarus, are not allowed to participate in the competition, in addition to that. Representatives of team sports will miss the tournament.