Olympic echoes of boycott era as Ukraine vs IOC intensifies

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — A contest that could define the 2024 Paris Olympics is playing out 18 months before medals are awarded. It’s giving the International Olympic Committee a political challenge with echoes of the 1980s boycott era. Ukraine fired up its campaign on Friday to have Russia and military ally Belarus excluded from the next Summer Games. There was talk in Kyiv of a boycott and support from sympathetic governments in the Baltics and elsewhere in Europe. The IOC says their stance is “regretful.” The IOC has pointed to its own rules and Olympic history to make its case.