Gutzeit: The International Olympic Committee believes that athletes are not to blame for Russia’s war against Ukraine

Olympic summit continues to support Ukraine

Chapter NOC of Ukraine Vadim Gutzeit stated that he continues to work to International Olympic Committee made the final decision to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the upcoming Olympics 2024.

“In March, the issue of admitting neutral athletes to the Olympic Games will be finally considered. The Olympic summit noted that they support Ukraine, that they are in solidarity with Ukraine, that they condemn the Russian government for a full-scale war, for the actions taking place.”

“We continue our work. I, as the President of the NOC, appeal to the IOC. And in a few days there will be an online meeting of the IOC, I will also speak out that while there is a full-scale war, there is no place for Russians and Belarusians in general in international arenas. But, unfortunately, the IOC is relying on the fact that a few days ago the UN decided that the athletes are innocent, that there should be an Olympic truce during the Olympic Games. That’s why there are conversations about all this.”

“The IOC says that the Russian government and the country’s leadership are to blame, but the athletes are not to blame, unfortunately. But we see that the opposite is true. All Russian athletes support a full-scale war. They take part in all activities to support the war in Ukraine, they donate to their soldiers and help with this. Now there is a war, they support it. They wear uniforms with the letters “Z” – this is also support for this war.”

Let us recall that in October the IOC officially suspended the activities of the Olympic Committee for violating the Olympic Charter. The reason was the inclusion of “Olympic councils” from the occupied territories of Ukraine into the latter.

In November, the IOC called for the abandonment of the World Friendship Games, which Russia had planned for September 2024. Additionally, the IOC has not changed its guidelines regarding the participation of “individual neutral athletes” in competitions subject to “strict conditions.”

At the same time, earlier the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, spoke about the IOC’s desire to return athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions “for the sake of uniting the whole world at the Olympic Games.” The German called the position of Ukraine, which opposed the admission of all athletes from aggressor countries, “unconstructive.”

Back in March, the IOC Executive Committee recommended the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral status.

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched rocket and air strikes on most Ukrainian cities and then launched a full-scale military invasion. The Russian war against Ukraine has continued for the 651st day.

Source: Sportarena

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