Russia will not boycott Paris Games, Russian Olympic chief says

President of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov attends a state awards ceremony at the Committee's headquarters in Moscow, Russia April 6, 2023. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo

GENEVA (Reuters) - The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) will not boycott this year's Paris Olympics, its president said on Thursday, despite restrictions on athletes imposed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) as punishment for the invasion of Ukraine.

"We will never take the path of boycotting (the Games). We will always support our athletes," Stanislav Pozdnyakov, the former Olympic fencer who serves as head of the ROC, said in comments carried by the state RIA news agency.