Macron: Russian Flag Cannot be at Paris Olympics

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and French Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal (R) meet schoolchildren during his visit at the College Daniel Argote Middle School in Orthez,  France, 5 September 2023.  CAROLINE BLUMBERG/Pool via REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and French Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal (R) meet schoolchildren during his visit at the College Daniel Argote Middle School in Orthez, France, 5 September 2023. CAROLINE BLUMBERG/Pool via REUTERS
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Macron: Russian Flag Cannot be at Paris Olympics

French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and French Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal (R) meet schoolchildren during his visit at the College Daniel Argote Middle School in Orthez,  France, 5 September 2023.  CAROLINE BLUMBERG/Pool via REUTERS
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and French Education and Youth Minister Gabriel Attal (R) meet schoolchildren during his visit at the College Daniel Argote Middle School in Orthez, France, 5 September 2023. CAROLINE BLUMBERG/Pool via REUTERS

French President Emmanuel Macron insisted Wednesday that "the Russian flag cannot be at the Paris Olympic Games... at a time when Russia is committing war crimes".

Quizzed on the possible presence of Russian athletes in Paris competing as neutrals, Macron added: "I hope that this is a decision of conscience in the Olympic world. It is not the host state which must decide what the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should do."

He added to sports daily L'Equipe: "I have total confidence in Thomas Bach (the IOC president)".

Athletes from Russia and Belarus have faced sanctions from a multitude of sports since Russia invaded Ukraine in February of 2022.

Despite the ongoing war, the IOC has recommended allowing athletes from Russia and Moscow ally Belarus to compete as individual neutrals in international competitions.

Those allowed to reintegrate into world sport must satisfy certain conditions.

These include competing under a neutral flag and proving that they have not actively supported the war in Ukraine.

"Obviously, there cannot be the Russian flag at the Paris Games, I think there is consensus," Macron added in his interview with L'Equipe.

"There is no place for Russia as a country at a time when it has committed war crimes, when it has deported children,” AFP quoted him as saying.

"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."

However, Macron pondered how to differentiate between those Russian athletes who are accomplices and those who are victims of the regime.

"This is the real question," he added.

The IOC must, he said, make a decision that is fair and understood by Ukrainians.

"This is the balancing act that we will have to carry out."



Flawless Oscar, Max Flounders: Bahrain Grand Prix Talking Points 

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
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Flawless Oscar, Max Flounders: Bahrain Grand Prix Talking Points 

McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)
McLaren driver Oscar Piastri of Australia in action during the the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, in Sakhir, Sunday, April 13, 2025. (AP)

Oscar Piastri produced a command performance on Sunday to deliver McLaren's first win at the Bahrain Grand Prix since the nocturnal desert dust-up joined the Formula One calendar in 2004.

The Australian crossed the line in Sakhir over 15 seconds clear of Mercedes' George Russell to move second behind teammate Lando Norris in the drivers' standings.

Norris completed the podium to take a three-point lead into next Sunday's race in Jeddah.

AFP Sport looks at three talking points from the fourth round of the season:

Oscar Piastri shone brightest under the floodlights in Bahrain to enhance his standing as a potential world champion.

Cool, calm and collected, nothing seems to faze the 24-year-old Australian.

As McLaren team principal Andrea Stella succinctly remarked: "There's no noise in Oscar's head".

Brushing off the misfortune of a late run off in the season-opener in Melbourne that dropped him back from second to ninth he regrouped to win in China, take third in Japan, and win from pole in Bahrain.

"I'm very proud of the team, proud of myself, and excited for next week," he said after his fourth career win.

Piastri's persona is poles apart from that of the man on the other side of the McLaren garage, Lando Norris.

The Briton wears his heart on his sleeve, is intensely self-critical, and left Bahrain searching for answers to regain his and his car's mojo.

"I'm not confident, I'm not comfortable, I know what I can achieve, it's not gone, I've not lost it, but things aren't clicking. I've got to look at why but that's proving not to be easy."

Red Bull picked up their first double points of the season in Sakhir, with Max Verstappen sixth and his new teammate Yuki Tsunoda ninth.

But that was small consolation for a team in trouble and desperately searching for answers to solve issues with their problematic 2025 car.

Team principal Christian Horner was frank about the situation when he met the media in the team's hospitality tent after the race.

"Look, it was a bad weekend.

"It's a 24-race championship, we're eight points behind in the drivers' championship, and we know we need to make progress very quickly."

With Verstappen slipping to third in the drivers' standings his quest for a fifth successive title, a feat only achieved by Michael Schumacher, looks in danger.

"Everything went wrong, poor start, wheel spin, same problems in qualification, hard tires didn't work, I was last after the second pit stop," remarked Verstappen.

"Considering everything to finish sixth was alright.

"It's not what we want, but it's where we are at.

"It's tough, got to hang on to improve the situation -- hopefully we can improve soon," added the downbeat Dutchman.

Arguably the driver of the day was George Russell.

His Mercedes was doing everything it could in the closing stages to sabotage his race.

He found himself having to multi-task at high speed trying to sort out a litany of electronic issues -- at one stage he pressed the team radio button only to engage DRS (drag reduction system).

All that as he was fending off Norris.

After surviving a steward's inquiry over the DRS incident which carried with it the threat of a five-second penalty Russell's runner-up spot maintained his best ever start to a season with his third podium finish.

"I'm mega happy, the last 10 laps were exceptionally difficult," said the man who has seamlessly taken over the role of team leader at the Silver Arrows after Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari.

Hamilton's replacement Kimi Antonelli was going well until undone by the late safety car to finish just outside the points in a race which will serve as a valuable learning exercise for the brilliant young Italian rookie.