PARIS.- “Israeli athletes are welcome” at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where they must compete “with their colors,” said the French president on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macronduring a television interview.
Macron was reacting to remarks by a left-wing MP who said on Saturday that Israeli athletes were not “welcome” in Paris.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee also called for Israel to be excluded from the Olympics due to its conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
“I have always said that it is the IOC (International Olympic Committee) that decides and we do not engage in politics with the Games,” said the head of state.
“I condemn in the strongest possible terms all those who in any way put these athletes at risk and who implicitly threaten them,” he added, responding to statements by several members of the France Insoumise (LFI) party who denounced “the double standard” between Israeli and Russian athletes, only a small number of whom will compete under a neutral flag.
“It is unacceptable,” added the President of the Republic, referring to the attitude of the LFI deputy, Thomas Portes.
On Saturday, during a rally in support of the Palestinian people, Portes said that “Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Paris Olympics” and called for “mobilizations.”
Absolute rejection
“Irresponsible and dangerous statements,” French Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné said on Monday, adding that the Israeli delegation was “welcome in France.”
Macron also recalled that he continues to support “the two-state solution (Israeli and Palestinian)” and called for “a ceasefire. What is happening in Gaza today is unacceptable,” he stressed.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee announced on Monday that it had requested the IOC to exclude Israeli athletes from the Games, saying that Israel had violated the Olympic truce by “bombing Gaza and causing civilian casualties.”
Source: AFP
