Russia's Status for 2024 Paris Olympics Defended by IOC President Thomas Bach

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach doubled down on the organization's efforts to help Russian and Belarusian athletes qualify for the 2024 Olympic games in Paris.

Bach was asked Sunday whether he was concerned the IOC would be remembered as being on the wrong side of history for with their decision to back the Russian and Belarusian athletes.

"No, history will show who is doing more for peace. The ones who try to keep lines open, to communicate, or the ones who want to isolate or divide," Bach told reporters at the Alpine skiing world championships.

The IOC has received widespread backlash after it started the process last month to help athletes from Russia and Belarus, despite Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine and the assistance to the invasion from Belarus.

"Russia is killing my people. Not good situation for Olympic Committee," Ukrainian downhill skier Ivan Kovbasnyuk said at the Courchevel French alps skii resort.

Kovbasnyuk, 29, echoed the sentiments of boxer Wladimir Klitschko, high jumper Yaroslava Mahuchikh and tennis player Elina Svitolina, who have all spoken out against the IOC.

The IOC has referred to advice from the United Nations that not letting the athletes participate based on their nationality or passport would be discrimination, according to the Associated Press.

Past examples of nations being excluded from the Olympics are Germany and Japan in 1948 for their role in World War II and South Africa from 1964 to '88 for its apartheid laws.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky told sports officials from 36 countries at a summit on Friday that as long as the invasion of his nation continued, athletes from Russia and Belarus have "no place" in the Paris games.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee have supported the IOC's ban on Russia and Belarus thus far and also are supportive of the IOC's efforts to allow the athletes to compete in Paris as long as they do so as individuals, not representing either nation, per Les Carpenter of the Washington Post.