A letter has been sent by Bach to the NOCU President Vadym Guttsait, who is also Ukrainian Sports Minister, calling on him to drop threats of pulling out of the Olympic Games.

The NOCU is strongly opposed to the IOC’s move to potentially reintroduce Russian and Belarusian athletes under a neutral banner and is working to gain support from other National Olympic Committees, sporting organisations and IOC members to stop that from happening.

In a letter obtained by insidethegames, Bach has criticised the NOCU’s efforts to mount pressure on decision makers.

"The participation of neutral athletes with a Russian and Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 has not even been discussed in concrete terms yet," Bach wrote.

"Therefore, your letter to your fellow NOCs, to the International Federations, IOC members and to future Olympic hosts, pressuring them in an attempt to publicly influence their decision making has been perceived by the vast majority of them as, at the very least, extremely regrettable.

"It’s the responsibility of every NOC to uphold the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter and the autonomy of the Olympic Movement.

"A boycott is a violation of the Olympic Charter, which obliges all NOCs to 'participate in the Games of the Olympiad by sending athletes’."

Russia and Belarus have been cast into the sporting wilderness since the invasion of Ukraine in February last year but the IOC is exploring ways for athletes from the two countries to compete under "strict conditions" of neutrality.

The Olympic Council of Asia has announced its readiness to welcome athletes from Russia and Belarus to its competitions, including this year’s delayed Asian Games in Hangzhou, and is devising a system for them to qualify for Paris 2024.

But the move has prompted opposition from several European nations which are against the return of Russians and Belarusians while Ukraine remains under attack.

A statement jointly signed by "Ukrainian Athletes" and the support group Global Athlete criticised Bach’s letter, claiming that the IOC’s "inverted stance toward the aggressor and the victim of this war flouts the Olympic Charter and undermines peace".

"The letter to President Guttsait states that 'Ukrainian athletes can continue to count on the full solidarity from the entire Olympic Movement'," the statement read.

"What solidarity is the IOC offering with this decision?

"Solidarity is unity with a common interest - there is no interest among Ukrainians to see war criminals attend the Games under the mask of a neutral flag.

"We cannot accept the IOC’s ‘raison d’être’ - 'to unite the entire world in peaceful competition' - as sound reasoning for allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes back into the Olympic Movement. 

"Uniting the world through peaceful competition is a utopian view that denies the role of sport in geopolitics and disregards the way sport is routinely used as a tool of authoritarian states."

The Ukrainian Athletes and Global Athlete questioned how the IOC would ascertain which Russian and Belarusian athletes support the war, claiming there is "no distinction between the athlete and the state" in the two countries.

They also argued that the IOC’s sanctions "strengthen [Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s hold on power by allowing him to portray Russia as a victim of an international conspiracy while simultaneously touting the successes of Russia’s athletes".

"The IOC continues to be on the wrong side of history and their letter is further evidence of the power Russia has over the organisation and the Olympic Movement," the statement added.

"Sponsors, host cities, and national Governments must stop tolerating the IOC’s kowtowing to Russia.

"The time for the IOC to be held accountable is now."

The Estonian Olympic Committee (EOK) Athletes’ Commission has claimed that the Olympic Charter is "not valid today" while Russia continues its military assault on Ukraine.

The group, led by Beijing 2008 discus throw champion Gerd Kanter, also believe that there was "no trust" in Russian athletes due to previous doping scandals and argued that the majority of them were "military athletes."

"Based on the above Estonian Athletes’ Commission finds that the athletes and officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus have no place in the Olympic Movement before the peace agreement between Ukraine and the Russian Federation has been signed," the EOK Athletes’ Commission wrote.