Gutzeit was invited to attend the meeting by the EOC alongside the Kraków-Małopolska 2023 European Games, where athletes from Russia and Belarus have been excluded despite the International Olympic Committee (IOC) lifting its outright ban.

He expressed Ukraine's continued opposition to the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sport, which has led to the country's Government vowing to boycott events where competitors from either nation are present.

"Unfortunately, the recommendations of the IOC, which grant the right to Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions as neutral athletes, do not contain provisions that would guarantee the safety of Ukrainian athletes at such events," Gutzeit said.

"The Russians, their fans, the leaders of national federations of Russia behave aggressively. 

"There are a lot of evidences of this, for example, fans at the Australian Open with flags of the Russian Federation or wearing t-shirts with [Vladimir] Putin's photo.

"In addition, there are already frequent facts when Russian athletes who supported the war were admitted to competitions and even received awards, like in judo and taekwondo."

Since the end of March the IOC has allowed International Federations to include individual neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus in their competitions provided they do not support the war in Ukraine and are not affiliated to the military.

However, how strictly these conditions are being enforced in sports including judo and taekwondo has been questioned, and Gutzeit highlighted links between Russian athletes and administrators and the state to the Executive Committee.

Poland's Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk revealed prior to the European Games his country is working with Ukraine on a database to highlight Russian and Belarusian athletes who have expressed support for the war.

At Kraków-Małopolska 2023, Bortniczuk presented an award to his Ukrainian counterpart.

"On behalf of the Polish Government and myself, I have the pleasure of conveying my sincere congratulations and thanks for your steadfastness in the face of the shameful Russian aggression against Ukraine," Bortniczuk said.

"Given the war in Ukraine, which has been going on since last year, and the scale of related challenges for Ukrainian sports, the role of the Ukrainian Minister responsible for Sports is extremely important.

"As a former professional athlete, you know the concepts of honour, overcoming adversity, and the ability to set and achieve challenging goals.

"You are guided by all these qualities in your daily service to Ukrainian sports."

Gutzeit expressed his gratitude to Poland for its stance on Russia and Belarus in international sport.

"It is a great honour for me to receive this award," he said.

"This is recognition of the heroism and indomitability of the Ukrainian people, who are bravely resisting the Russian aggressor.

"I sincerely thank Poland for its fraternal support and help."

At the Executive Committee meeting, EOC President Spyros Capralos, an IOC member in Greece, insisted Russian and Belarusian states remained sanctioned through a ban on national symbols and staging events, and that International Federations following the IOC recommendations are implementing strict conditions for participation.

However, he argued boycotting Paris 2024 qualification events where Russian and Belarusian athletes are present, for example at the World Judo Championships in Doha and World Taekwondo Championships in Baku, would only harm athletes.

Ukraine adjusted its decree earlier this week to allow athletes to compete at the European Fencing Championships in categories which did not feature Russian and Belarusian athletes.

Boycotting events has had a mixed reaction in Ukraine, and IOC President Thomas Bach claimed earlier this week the Government stance is "hard to understand".

Capralos also expressed the EOC's commitment to supporting Ukraine's teams and athletes in their Paris 2024 preparations at the Executive Committee, and Gutzeit thanked it and European NOCs for their support.

Critics argue there should be no place for Russia and Belarus in international sport while the war in Ukraine is ongoing, and Kraków-Małopolska 2023 Organising Committee President Marcin Nowak said it was an "easy decision" to exclude them from the European Games.

The IOC has insisted it has not made a final decision on Russian and Belarusian participation at Paris 2024, although Bach has said he wants athletes from all 206 NOCs to compete.

After this week's Executive Board meeting, which concluded on Wednesday (June 21), the IOC through spokesperson Mark Adams stressed there is "plenty of time" for a final decision.