The UK government has called on major sponsors of the Olympics to put pressure on the IOC over its proposals to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete again internationally and at the 2024 Games in Paris. The Guardian writes about this, citing a letter from the British Minister for Culture, Media and Sports, Lucy Fraser.
“We know that sports and politics in Russia and Belarus are closely intertwined, and we are determined to prevent the regimes of these countries from using sports for their propaganda purposes,” the letter says.
The letter was received in particular by Coca Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa. The appeal was sent a day after Russia launched its largest missile attack on Ukrainian cities in weeks.
At the end of January, the IOC proposed to discuss the admission to the competition of Russians in a neutral status, provided that they did not support the war in Ukraine and comply with anti-doping rules. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky opposed the decision. He said that Russia's presence at the Olympics next year would be "an act of violence."