Russia - players.bio

Just 15 Russian athletes will compete in Paris, but not under their own flag. Some want them banned altogether

When athletes from Russia and Belarus compete at the Summer Olympics in Paris, there will be no national flags, no anthems and a much smaller delegation than in previous years as Russia's war on Ukraine has turned a country that was once an Olympic powerhouse into a pariah.

Russian Arrested Over 'Destabilisation' Plot For Paris Olympics: Prosecutors

French police on Tuesday arrested a Russian man suspected of plotting acts of "destabilisation" during the Paris Olympics, prosecutors said. The man, born in 1984, was held in custody and placed under judicial investigation on suspicion of "organising events likely to lead to destabilisation during the Olympic Games", a source in the state prosecution service, who asked not to be named, told AFP. The source said an investigation was opened into "passing intelligence to a foreign power in order to arouse hostilities in France", adding that the crime was punishable by up to 30 years in jail.

IOC, Macron Reject Israel Boycott Call At Paris Olympics

The head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and French President Emmanuel Macron rejected Tuesday a Palestinian demand that Israel be barred from the Paris Games over the war in Gaza. As the Israeli team settled into the Athletes' Village, the IOC studied a letter from the Palestine Olympic Committee asking for a ban on Israel, citing the bombings of the besieged Gaza Strip as a breach of the Olympic truce. The letter, sent days before Friday's opening ceremony, "emphasised that Palestinian athletes, particularly those in Gaza, are denied safe passage and have suffered significantly due to the ongoing conflict".

1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French official says

Three days before the start of the 2024 Olympics, France's interior minister said about 1,000 people suspected of possibly meddling for a foreign power have been blocked from attending the Olympics — one of the security challenges that Paris is cracking down on in its goal to keep Games safe for athletes and fans.