Sawt Falasteen - French authorities pass Russian Olympic problem to IOC

Hidalgo echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who urged his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron to ban Russians from the next Olympics.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has said it is "studying" the possibility of allowing Russians to participate, under a "neutral banner".

On Wednesday, French government spokesman Olivier Veran and Paris Organising Committee president Tony Estanguet said the decision was the responsibility of the IOC.

Veran told a press briefing that "a decision must be taken by the summer", by the IOC.

"No position has been formally agreed with the IOC yet," he said. "I will wait for international cooperation to take its course."

However, he did not rule out an exclusion, evoking "the steadfast wish of France that every possible sanction be applied fully and entirely".

Meanwhile at a press conference to unveil the look of the Paris Games, Estanguet said: "It's up to the IOC to ultimately decide whether the Russian delegation will be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics."

Paris deputy mayor Emmanuel Gregoire, attending the Olympic event, said Hidalgo had "expressed very clearly... the view of many countries, of many sports federations".

"It is an incitement to peace that everyone must hear."

L.AbuTayeh--SF-PST