President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach said he was currently not ready to answer the question of whether Russian athletes will be able to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
— I have been discussing Russia for several months with dozens of heads of state and prime ministers: none of them can tell me when and how the conflict in Ukraine will end. To those who ask me how the IOC will behave in the face of the admission of Russians to the next Olympics, I answer: who am I to know and talk about it?
Sport is increasingly becoming a means of settling political scores. Iranians may not want Americans to speak, Palestinians may reject Israelis, etc. It is a world full of conflict in all areas, including sports. There is always someone fighting against someone who does not want anyone to participate or ask for sanctions. So the sport is divided,” Bach said in an interview with Corriere della Sera.
According to him, the mission of the Olympic Movement is to promote peace while maintaining political neutrality.
“Now we have to figure out how to do it. The organization of the Olympic Games serves to unite people, especially in difficult times. We have to show people that the Games remain a unifying element, because here in our world the rules are the same for everyone: penalties are taken at 11 meters, 100 meters is always 100 meters, prohibited substances are forbidden to all. The Olympic Village should be a place of peace regardless of religion, sexual orientation, gender differences or language spoken, the IOC chief said.
At the end of February, the IOC recommended to international sports federations to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions due to the situation in Ukraine. A number of international federations have excluded Russians and Belarusians from competitions under their auspices and have also canceled competitions in Russia, other federations have allowed athletes in a neutral status.
The Paris Olympics will take place from July 26 to August 11, 2024.
Source : MatchTV
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