IOC boss dismisses critical governments and insinuates “double standards”
IOC recommends return of Russian athletes to world sport
Russian and Belarusian athletes should no longer be banned from world sport. The International Olympic Committee recommends this to the world associations. However, the IOC executive presupposes various conditions for reintegration.
There is criticism, especially from Western countries, that the IOC wants to enable athletes from Russia and Belarus to return. IOC President Thomas Bach is now trying to go on the offensive. He sees the Olympic movement strengthened despite massive criticism.
IOC President Thomas Bach has criticized the political rejection of the decision to reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions as “regrettable”. “The IOC Executive discussed the reactions to our recommendations from Tuesday,” said the head of the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne on Thursday. “In doing so, we have noted some negative reactions, particularly from some European governments.”
He could only reiterate what the Olympic Movement and all stakeholders have made very clear before: “That it is unfortunate that some governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic Movement and all stakeholders, nor the autonomy of sport, which they have in countless Speeches, UN resolutions, EU declarations and on every other occasion praise and demand from other countries.” The top German official spoke of a “double standard that we were confronted with in our consultations”.
However, the discussions and reactions from the Olympic movement have made it very clear that these government interventions have “strengthened the unity of the Olympic movement”. “Everyone involved makes it clear once again: It cannot be up to governments to decide which athletes can participate in which competitions. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today,” Bach affirmed. “The players in the Olympic movement are very concerned about this politicization of sport.”
Athletics World Association as a role model in the Russia question
From Germany, too, there had been strong rejection of the recommendation of the IOC executive to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions again. Linked to this are criteria intended to guarantee the neutrality of athletes from these two countries.
The sports committee chairman Frank Ullrich this Thursday evaluates the recommendation for the re-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes as “premature and sends the wrong signal. It would have been necessary for the IOC to answer the Russia question in the interests of the Ukrainian athletes,” said the SPD politician at “t-online.de”.
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Deriving the re-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the ban on discrimination is not enough. “My heart beats for sport, but not under the premise that athletes are instrumentalized and abused for war propaganda purposes,” added Ullrich and expressed the hope that other associations would follow the strict course of the world athletics association.
IOC does not want to meet the deadline for the 2024 Olympics in Paris
Despite the recommendation of the IOC, he remains with his rejection. “Nothing has changed in World Athletics’ position,” it said in a statement. The council of the world association had decided last week not to let the athletes of the two countries take part in the meetings and title fights under its direction until further notice because of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
“As the IOC has said, the decision on admission is the responsibility of the international federations,” it said. The European Athletics Association Eaa had also opted for another exclusion. The German Athletics Association (DLV) is on the same line.
Meanwhile, the IOC wants to make the decision on a possible start of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Summer Games in Paris well after the usual deadline. “The decision will not be made before the official invitation to the Olympics a year before the opening of the games,” Bach said in Lausanne on Thursday.
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Source: WELT/ Alexander Siemon, Franca Lehfeldt
The IOC initially wants to carefully monitor compliance with the regulations proposed by the Olympic governing body for the recommended return of athletes from the two countries. “It’s a very complex thing,” emphasized Bach. He indicated that the decision will not be made during this summer. Rule 44.1 of the Olympic Charter requires the IOC to send out invitations to the National Olympic Committees one year before the opening of the Olympic Games. This would be July 26, 2023.
The flags and anthems of the two countries are banned as part of the IOC’s criteria for maintaining the neutrality of Russians and Belarusians in competitions. In addition, among other things, their competition clothing should either be completely white or designed in another single color. Team logos are forbidden to Russians and Belarusians, as are national symbols. Athletes with connections to the military and security organs as well as teams remain locked out.
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