A consultation meeting of the President of the International Olympic Committee took place with the heads of the NOCs of the countries of the world.
Ukraine opposes the entry of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions and the Olympic Games.
This is again, in a speech at a consultation meeting of the President of the International Olympic Committee with the heads of the NOCs of the countries of the world, said the Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, as well as the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine Vadym Gutzeit.
“On behalf of the Ukrainian Olympic family, I want to thank those who support us for your friendship and solidarity. More than a year has passed since Russia, with the support of Belarus, invaded Ukraine, violating the Olympic truce.
The decisions and recommendations of the IOC to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions are logical and completely fair. Unfortunately, nothing has changed this year.
262 Ukrainian athletes and coaches died, about 40 thousand athletes were forced to move abroad along with 7 million refugees. About 350 sports facilities were damaged or destroyed.
Ukraine adheres to the principles of the Olympic Charter. Ukraine wants peace. Promoting peace is a central principle of Olympism. Many people try to compare the Russian-Ukrainian war with other world conflicts. Let’s see if this is indeed the case. Especially given the Olympic principles.
May I ask if there is any other country in the world that has violated the Olympic Truce three times in a row (in 2008, 2014, 2022) by unprovoked war? None other than Russia and Belarus.
Does any National Olympic Committee of the World support world wars? None, except the Russians, Belarusians and, perhaps, Nazi Germany.
There are so many sergeants, lieutenants and majors of the Armed Forces in our Olympic team, including one – Yelena Isinbayeva, who was nominated and elected as a member of the IOC? None other than Russia.
Real Russian and Belarusian Olympians, those who fled the country and opposed the war. They are true supporters of the Olympic Charter. What will be their fate, President Bach?
I emphasize again that many athletes of the Russian Olympic team are members of the Russian armed forces who are killing Ukrainians, and the Russian Olympic Committee fully supports this war. This is a violation of the Olympic Charter.
Violators of the Olympic Charter must be punished by the IOC until the end of the war.
I also have another question for the President. Why, when members of the Russian government are under IOC sanctions, is the Russian Sports Minister holding meetings with representatives of the Olympic movement in Asia, including NOC presidents?
Today, many of you spoke about the unity of the Olympic movement. Ukraine wants to maintain this unity.
First. We have heard the positions of the African and Asian regions today, but the European region has no position. I asked the EOC to organize a broad discussion for the democratic and transparent creation of a common and transparent position on the European continent on this issue.
There is also a request from the Athletes’ Commission of the NOC of Ukraine to organize a discussion with the athletes and, as far as I know, there has not yet been a meeting on this issue within the framework of the EOC. So, to maintain Olympic unity, we need to complete all procedures and consultations with all interested parties, including all regions.
Second. A week ago I sent letters to the IOC, national NOCs and international federations on human rights issues.
I will not repeat, but I want to emphasize once again that the conclusions of the UN Special Rapporteurs regarding the so-called discrimination of athletes from aggressor countries are incomplete, and the IOC’s reliance on them is groundless and without legal force.
I also sent a request to the newly created IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights. We need to explore human rights issues further, taking into account relevant legal instruments and taking a holistic approach.
Third. We need to see the IOC’s draft recommendation on so-called “neutrality” to discuss this.
Given all of the above, Ukraine strongly urges that the Recommendation of the IOC Executive Board dated February 28, 2022 on the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from participation in international sports competitions remain in force.
Earlier, Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said she did not want to see Russians in her city during the Olympics.
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Source: korrespondent
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.
