The MP believes that other sports federations will use the “fencing precedent”
Tokyo 2020 Olympic Champion and People’s Deputy of Ukraine Jean Beleniuk believes that the decision to boycott the preliminaries for Olympics 2024which will be attended by Russian and Belarusian athletes, will deprive Ukrainian athletes of the opportunity to get to the Games in Paris themselves.
“The trend is clear.. In fencing, the qualifying stage for the 2024 Olympics begins, which indicates to us the answer to the question “Will the Russians be allowed to the Games?”! I think that other international federations, whose political will favors admission, will make faster decisions in favor of admission with the “fencing precedent”.
“Therefore, the time has come for the NOC/MinSport to decide what to do for Ukrainian athletes at the stage of selection for the Olympics, where Russians and Belarusians will participate. By choosing to boycott the qualifying competitions, the issue of a boycott of the Ukrainian Olympics simply becomes irrelevant, because no one will simply get there without licenses … “
At an extraordinary FIE congress, it was decided to remove the ban from Russian and Belarusian athletes. The decision comes into force in the second half of April 2023.
The Fencing Federation of Ukraine twice filed a request to block this decision, but their protest was not satisfied. In addition, the FIE allowed the official representatives of the Russian Federation and Belarus to return to the structures.
The National Fencing Federation of Ukraine urgently convened the Presidium of the FFU. In the coming days, consultations will be held with members of the Federation, athletes, coaches, as well as representatives of the National Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Youth and Sports.
Recall that 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 decision of the IOC to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete under a neutral flag.
Source: Sportarena
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