French President Emmanuel Macron stated in an interview that Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics. The demand for a ceasefire during the Olympics was emphasized by Macron, who highlighted the importance of the host country moving in step with the Olympic movement. This message of peace aligns with the decision of the Olympic Committee, which condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Despite the restrictions imposed by the IOC as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee confirmed that the ROC would not boycott this year’s Paris Olympics. However, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo expressed her preference that Russians and Belarusians do not attend the event.

In the wake of the invasion, Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally. Nevertheless, some 40 Russian athletes are set to compete without the flag, according to Senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) Vice-President John Coates.