If the Minister of Foreign Affairs Stéphane Séjourné wished the Palestinian delegation “welcome to France”, the annoyances continue for them. This Monday, the Palestinian Olympic Committee contacted the IOC to request the exclusion of Israeli athletes before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Palestine considers in particular that Israel violated the Olympic truce proclaimed by the IOC after having carried out “bombings on Gaza resulting in civilian victims”. The official letter was addressed to the IOC President, Thomas Bach, but also to Gianni Infantino, his counterpart at the International Football Federation (FIFA) via the Palestinian Federation.
The IOC and FIFA have in the past acted decisively against attacks on the Olympic truce,” the letter details. The suspension of Russian teams by the International Olympic Committee in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Palestinian Committee therefore asks “to apply the same rule to Israel and to suspend teams from the Olympic Games.”
Israel has “confidence in the security organization” The arrival of Israeli athletes took place under close surveillance. The president of the Israeli Olympic Committee, Yaël Arad, recalled her full “confidence in the security organization”. The athletes' protection was ensured by the GIGN, an elite unit of the national gendarmerie, said French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin.
