IOC president confident his actions will benefit the world
The president International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach continues to insist on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions.
“We are discussing this. First of all, we are not talking about Paris, but about the sports competitions that will take place in 2023. We are not talking about Paris yet, more on that later. We would like to draw attention to two main issues, one of which is a serious concern that was expressed by two special experts of the UN Human Rights Council. They told us that the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes just because of a passport is a violation of human rights.”
“The IOC respects human rights, as do international sports federations, so we must respond to these concerns. Secondly, we need to understand why it is impossible for swimmers, for example, but possible for tennis players? We saw at the Australian Open when a Ukrainian player played against a neutral athlete with a Russian passport, and a Belarusian tennis player even won the tournament. So why is it not possible in swimming or gymnastics?
The reaction of the Western world? Wait. We have seen some statements from the Baltic countries and others, they have expressed their concerns. Unfortunately, they did not raise the issue of human rights – at least until today we do not have an answer to this. But we need to seriously consider these issues.”
“In the end, it is not the prerogative of governments to decide who can compete in which sports, otherwise this will be the end of international sports, world championships and the Olympic Games in the form in which we are used to it.”
“We will consider these issues, we will try to find a solution and justice as the mission of sport. After all, the mission of sport is to unite, not to divide and not become a prerequisite for major confrontations and escalations. Our mission is peace.”
“History will show who has done more for the world: the one who tried to stick to certain lines and communicate or who tried to isolate and divide.”
“We had a positive experience in the Olympic movement, you can remember what it was like with North and South Korea, what we did with Israel and Palestine or in the case of Kosovo or many other conflicts. Our role is to bring people together.”
Recall that a group of countries, including the US, France, Australia, Poland, Lithuania, Japan and the UK, opposed the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Olympics in Paris. With this requirement, they will apply to the IOC.
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.
The IOC believes that a complete ban on the performance of Russian and Belarusian athletes is discrimination and is contrary to the Olympic Charter. The organizers of the 2024 Olympics in Paris said they would adhere to the IOC decision to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag.
The NOC of Ukraine has supported a possible boycott of the 2024 Olympics 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.
At the same time, the Head of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, called on the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine to abandon the threats of a boycott of the 2024 Olympics.
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.
