The return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions responds to one of the important points of the Olympic Charter, said Marius Vizer, president of the International Judo Federation.
On Wednesday, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would consider admitting to international competitions neutral Russian and Belarusian athletes who do not actively support the SVO. In most sports, against the background of the situation in Ukraine, representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus were deprived of the opportunity to participate in international tournaments.
— The reintegration of judokas from Russia and Belarus into international competitions is based on irrefutable arguments. First of all, one of the main pillars of the Olympic Charter remains the non-discriminatory participation of athletes without exception.
Moreover, Russian and Belarusian judokas have never participated in any military activity and avoided participating in any political or partisan propaganda, since their decision was to stay in the sport and continue training, waiting for the time. where they could resume competition, – Wieser’s statement is quoted by the IJF website.
The President of the International Federation recalled that sport has always been an important platform for unity, solidarity and friendship between peoples, and that the sports movement is the only possibility to establish an open and to create a model of reconciliation.
“With the experience of the two previous Olympic Games where governments prevented their athletes from participating in the Games, we are now in an extreme situation where governments ban or block the participation of athletes from countries other than their own in international sporting events.
I believe that the condemnation of athletes who, through their sports practice, clearly support peace, friendship and solidarity, in the spirit of humanity, is an excessive and unacceptable measure”, declared the head of the IJF.
Source : MatchTV
I am Ashley Ortiz and I am a professional journalist working for Athletistic. My specialty is in sports journalism, particularly boxing. I have written articles for some of the most renowned publications on the subject, and my work has been featured across both print and digital media platforms.
