He urged Olympic sponsors to support the ongoing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes

The British government has urged Olympic sponsors to support the ongoing ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes for next year’s Paris Olympic Games.

Culture Secretary Lucy Fraser has written to the UK chief executives of the IOC’s 13 global partners, including Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa, to pressure the IOC to come up with details on what “path” it is considering which would allow the Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutrals.

The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee recommended the exclusion of athletes from these two countries from international sporting events last February, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However, IOC President Thomas Bach insists these were measures designed to “protect” these athletes and now says athletes should not be discriminated against because of the passport they hold.

The UK is one of 35 countries, including the US and host France, who have demanded clarification from the IOC on the exact terms of neutrality.

Fraser wrote: “We know that sport and politics in Russia and Belarus are deeply intertwined and we are determined to prevent the regimes in Russia and Belarus from using sport for propaganda purposes.

Until our concerns and significant lack of clarity and concrete detail about a viable model of ‘neutrality’ are addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to return to competition.

“With reference to the IOC’s stated position that no final decision has been made, we strongly urge the IOC to address the issues identified by all countries and to reconsider their proposed settlement.

“As an Olympic partner, I welcome your views on this matter and ask you to join us in pressing the IOC to address the concerns raised in our statement.”

The UK government believes that the situation in Ukraine has deteriorated since the IOC adopted its initial position of excluding Russia and Belarus and that as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his invasion, athletes from those countries will not be able to compete.

Bach criticized government interference in this matter.

Speaking after a meeting of the IOC’s executive board last December, when the board said for the first time that it was exploring a path for the return of Russian athletes, Bach said: “If this (interference) continues, our sporting competitions and the international sports system will be lost.”

Today it is Russia and Belarus. Tomorrow it will be the next country and then the other countries will return to impose counter sanctions.

“We have to work towards our unifying mission, to stand up for athletes[and]stand up for the international sports movement.”