These are the fundamental conditions for the return of athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus to international competitions
International Olympic Committee (IOC) clarified that does not intend to lift sanctions against the governments and states of Russia and Belarus during the discussion of the admission of athletes from these countries to international competitions.
The IOC also responded to the proposal of the President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) Stanislav Pozdnyakov to allow Russian athletes to compete under national symbols.
“Sanctions against the governments and states of Russia and Belarus are non-negotiable. They were unanimously supported at the last Olympic summit on December 9, 2022:
1) no international competitions can be held in Russia or Belarus
2) no competitions may display the identification of these countries (eg flag and anthem).
3) official representatives of the authorities of Russia and Belarus cannot be accredited or invited to international meetings or competitions.”
The IOC is ready to consider the possibility of admitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions. In this case, 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 OCA is developing a special system that will allow Russians to qualify for the Olympics through Asian competitions. It is also planned to award Asian athletes with separate medals if representatives of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus win the event.
The NOC of Ukraine will hold an online conference on February 3. During the meeting, the issue of a possible boycott by Ukraine of the 2024 Olympic Games will be discussed, to which representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus under a neutral flag may be admitted.
Ex-world heavyweight champion Volodymyr Klitschko, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and Verkhovna Rada deputy Jean Beleniuk, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba criticized the IOC and the head of the organization Thomas Bach.
In addition, Polish Minister of Sports Kamil Bortnichuk said that he opposed the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympic Games. According to him, Poland can put forward an ultimatum to the IOC if such a decision is made.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
