Lawmakers ask EU countries to pressure IOC for Russia’s ban

BRUSSELS (AP) — European Union lawmakers have condemned the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part in qualifying events for the 2024 Paris Games. EU legislators say allowing them to compete under a neutral flag “runs counter to those countries’ multifaceted isolation and will be used by both regimes for propaganda purposes.” The EU Parliament also urged the 27 EU countries and the international community to pressure the IOC to reverse a decision they called “an embarrassment to the international world of sport.” The IOC has argued that it would be discriminatory to exclude Russia and ally Belarus from sports ahead of the Paris Olympics.