Jean believes that it is worth fighting for the non-admission of athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus
Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and deputy of the Verkhovna Rada Jean Beleniuk stated that Ukraine and the National Olympic Committee (NOC) should work to prevent athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus from entering the international arena.
“Actually, I take the boycott as the last act of desperation in case no one hears us. Still, I’m in favor of working and making sure that we don’t have to boycott it. It will look like a political defeat of Ukraine on this front. It will turn out that we boycott, and the representatives of Russia and Belarus compete and achieve their goals, wedge in their propaganda using this platform.”
“Therefore, we need to form a coalition of countries in solidarity with Ukraine. We see that such countries exist, and at different levels they demonstrate their readiness to join the discussion of the boycott. But if we work on this issue in such a way that the IOC understands that by joining the representatives of Russia and Belarus it loses much more than it gains from this accession, then from the very side of this organization it will not make any sense for them to take such a risk, because it will be a painful blow to them.”
“So we need to use all options to show that by ignoring the position of Ukraine, the IOC loses much more than by making concessions to Russia and Belarus. If there is no other reaction, and we are not heard, then we must be in solidarity with the entire Ukrainian people, who are now defending their independence and territorial integrity.”
The IOC is ready to consider the possibility of admitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions. At the same time, everyone who wishes will be required to act in a neutral status. Also, athletes should not support the war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine and pass a mandatory doping test.
The Olympic Summit, chaired by IOC President Thomas Bach, unanimously agreed to accept an initiative proposed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in its competitions.
The NOC of Ukraine supported a possible boycott of the 2024 Olympics, which will be held in Paris, if athletes from Russia and Belarus are admitted to the Games. Also, the Verkhovna Rada appealed to the parliaments of the countries of the world with a request to ban the participation of representatives of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation in international competitions.
Earlier, the IOC made it clear that it does not plan to consider all applications regarding the return of athletes from the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus to the Olympic Games-2024. The IOC believes that a complete ban on the performance of Russian and Belarusian athletes is discrimination and is contrary to the Olympic Charter.
In turn, the organizers of the 2024 Olympics in Paris said they would adhere to the decision of the International Olympic Committee to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag.
Source: Sportarena
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