The Olympic Council of Malaysia will determine its attitude to a potential boycott of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games this week ©Getty Images

Malaysia's Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh says a stance on a possible boycott of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will be discussed this week with the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

It has been reported that up to 40 countries could boycott the Games if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the French capital, even if they do so as neutrals.

Yeoh said she will discuss the matter with the OCM before coming to a decision, the New Straits Times reported.

"We have yet to discuss this with OCM, I am sure Tan Sri Norza Zakaria (OCM President) will bring this to the Committee's attention when we meet this week," she said.

"We have had some initial discussions but this is something that definitely needs to be discussed by the Committee.

Malaysia was one of the 65 countries which boycotted the Moscow 1980 Olympics ©Getty Images
Malaysia was one of the 65 countries which boycotted the Moscow 1980 Olympics ©Getty Images

"But how other countries respond (to the issue) is actually separate from how we would respond.

"Let me discuss with OCM first."

The IOC has yet to decide whether it will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at Paris 2024 following the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

But its Executive Board issued a recommendation last week that they should be allowed to compete as individual neutrals in other international competitions, provided they do not support the war or have an affiliation to the military.

This will allow them to compete in Olympic qualifying competitions, if the individual sports adhere to the IOC line.

Malaysia was one of the 65 countries which boycotted the Moscow 1980 Olympics during the Cold War.