PARIS: Olympic organisers confirmed on Monday the withdrawal of accreditation from some reporters after Russia’s TASS state news agency announced several of its journalists could no longer cover the Paris Games.

TASS said on Sunday that the removal of the reporters and photographers’ accreditation, essential to cover the Games, was “completely unexpected” after the journalists had entered France, received passes and attended the opening and several events.

“I can confirm that some accredited journalists have received an a posteriori decision from the competent authorities to withdraw their accreditation,” 2024 Paris Olympics spokeswoman Anne Descamps told reporters.

“As the Paris-2024 Organising Committee, we are applying the decision without being involved in the rationale behind this information, which has not been communicated to us,” she added.

Descamps said she did not know how many journalists had been affected.

Contacted by AFP, the interior ministry said it had no comment.

TASS said the Paris Olympics organising committee had stripped four of its journalists of accreditation.

One of the journalists, Artyom Kuznetsov, has covered a series of Olympic Games and was seen at the main Trocadero stands together with other journalists accredited to cover the opening Olympic ceremony on Friday evening.

Team Russia was banned from the Paris edition over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year.

Just 15 Russian athletes have been accredited to compete at the Olympics as neutrals. They did not take part in the opening ceremony.

Russia gave the opening ceremony a critical reception, with foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova describing it as a “massive failure”.

Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said the opening ceremony was a “disgusting spectacle” and a “freak show”.

TASS wrote the opening “was notable for a number of awkward situations”, noting gaffes such as the Olympic flag raised upside-down and viewers leaving early due to pouring rain.

Earlier, some Russian journalists had accreditation requests denied, prompting Zakharova to tell TASS that “observing the rights of journalists and providing freedom of speech are just empty sounds for (President Emmanuel) Macron and his gang”.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2024