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U.K. Urges Olympic Sponsors To Back Ban On Russian Athletes


The International Olympic Committee has outlined a road map to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag provided they did not actively support the Ukraine conflict. (file photo)
The International Olympic Committee has outlined a road map to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag provided they did not actively support the Ukraine conflict. (file photo)

Britain has called on Olympic sponsors, including Coca-Cola and Samsung, to support a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing at next year's summer games in Paris. London hopes that pressure from sponsors will sway the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with a year and a half to go until the Paris 2024 games. The IOC in January outlined a road map to reinstate Russians and Belarusians -- excluded from world sport since the invasion of Ukraine more than a year ago -- under a neutral flag provided they did not actively support the conflict.

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

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