The Russian flag is not welcome. In an interview with L’Équipe, Emmanuel Macron believes on Wednesday September 6 that there can “not be the Russian flag at the Paris Olympic Games”. The Head of State considers that Russia has “no place at a time when it is committing war crimes”. In the same interview, he believes that it would be “preferable” that the rugby player Bastien Chalureau no longer plays for the France team if his conviction for racist violence were confirmed on appeal.
Asked about the possible presence of individual Russian athletes, the head of state kicked into touch. “I want this to be a decision in the conscience of the Olympic world (…) it is not the host state that should decide what the IOC should do (…) I have complete confidence in Thomas Bach” , the president of the International Olympic Committee. President Macron also wanted “Ukrainians to be associated with this reflection”.
“Obviously, there can’t be the Russian flag at the Paris Games, I think there’s a consensus,” he said in this interview with the sports newspaper, “because Russia as a country has no place in a time when she committed war crimes, when she deported children”. “The real question that the Olympic world will have to decide is what place to give to these Russian athletes who sometimes have prepared for a lifetime, and can also be the victims of this regime,” he continues.
How to differentiate Russian athletes accomplices and victims of the regime? “This is the real question and therefore this is where the Olympic world has, in conscience, its opinion to give and guarantees to specify”, explains the Head of State: “And it must be understood by the Ukrainians (…) This is the balancing act that we will have to carry out. »
Returning to the Chalureau affair, which made the news for the France team this week, Emmanuel Macron specifies: “If there are convictions on serious, established facts, which affect the cohesion of the nation, yes , it would be preferable”, that the second row no longer wears the jersey of the France team.
Bastien Chalureau, called on Friday to make up for Paul Willemse’s absence due to injury, was sentenced in 2020 by the Toulouse Criminal Court to a six-month suspended prison sentence for “acts of violence with the circumstance that these were committed in because of the race or ethnicity of the victim”. He appealed against this judgment.
“Justice must be able to pronounce itself in the time that is its own, in all serenity. The presumption of innocence and the right of appeal exist,” said Emmanuel Macron. According to the President of the Republic, the choice of the XV of France coach Fabien Galthié, to summon Bastien Chalureau, is “necessarily the right one for the team”. “Fabien knows what he (Chalureau) can bring to the fifteen of France, his chemistry with the other players”, added Emmanuel Macron.
The Blues, who are among the favorites at the World Cup organized on their soil, begin the competition on Friday at the Stade de France against New Zealand, triple world champion (1987, 2011, 2015).