Olympic president invokes John Lennon’s memory as Paris marks 1-year countdown to war-clouded Games

PARIS (AP) — The president of the International Olympic Committee has formally invited the world’s nations but not Russia or its military ally Belarus to gather in one year in Paris for the 2024 Games. The invite from Thomas Bach launched the final year-to-go countdown. Bach accompanied his invite with a plea for togetherness against the backdrop of war in Ukraine. He borrowed from John Lennon’s famous peace anthem “Imagine” as he argued that the Olympics are needed more than ever by a world of “conflict, division and war.” Bach has heaped praise on Paris’ preparations this week. The biggest unknown is whether Bach and the IOC will let athletes from Russia and Belarus compete.