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Organizers Confirm Russian Journalists Will No Longer Officiate In 2024 Paris Olympics
The organizers of the Olympics announced on Monday [today] that a number of reporters had their accreditation revoked due to the announcement by Russia’s state news agency, TASS, that several of its journalists were no longer permitted to report from the Paris Olympics.
TASS disclosed on Sunday that the decision to revoke the accreditation of the reporters and photographers, which is crucial for their coverage of the Games, was “completely unexpected” following the journalists’ arrival in France, their receipt of passes, and their participation in the opening ceremony and various events.
“I can confirm that some accredited journalists have received an a posteriori decision from the competent authorities to withdraw their accreditation,” 2024 Paris Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters.
“As the Paris-2024 Organising Committee, we are applying the decision without being involved in the rationale behind this information, which has not been communicated to us.”
Descamps stated that she was unaware of the exact number of journalists who had been impacted.
When contacted by AFP, the interior ministry declined to provide any comment.
However, TASS reported that the Paris Olympics organising committee had revoked the accreditation of four journalists.
Artyom Kuznetsov, one of the journalists affected, has previously covered several Olympic Games and was spotted at the main Trocadero stands alongside other accredited journalists during the opening ceremony on Friday evening.
Russia’s Exclussion From Paris Olympics
Team Russia was excluded from the Paris edition due to Moscow’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year.
Only 15 Russian athletes have been granted accreditation to compete at the Olympics as neutrals, and they did not participate in the opening ceremony.
Russia criticized the opening ceremony, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova labelling it a “massive failure.”
Dmitry Medvedev, the ex-president of Russia, described the opening ceremony as a “disturbing display” and a “bizarre performance”.
TASS reported that the opening ceremony “was marked by several uncomfortable situations”, pointing out mishaps like the Olympic flag being raised upside down and spectators leaving early because of heavy rain.
Previously, certain Russian journalists had their accreditation requests rejected, leading Zakharova to inform TASS that “respecting the rights of journalists and ensuring freedom of speech are nothing but hollow words for (President Emmanuel) Macron and his associates”.
