DThe federal government apparently wants to use state funds to prevent Russian athletes from participating in international competitions in Germany. Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser announced: “Countries in which major sporting events take place are not powerless. You can control whether Russians can actually participate by issuing visas,” the SPD politician told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “If we organize international competitions in Germany, then we can act accordingly.”
The minister responsible for top-class sport was reacting to the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee to the international professional associations to allow Russians and Belarusians again before the upcoming Olympic qualifications.
Ministry of the Interior refers to the Foreign Office
It was not yet clear on Monday whether the federal government would go beyond the threat. When asked what the legal basis for a visa refusal was, the Federal Ministry of the Interior replied: “Federal Minister of the Interior Nancy Faeser made a statement in her function as Minister of Sport. Measures such as entry bans and the issue or refusal of visas are of course closely coordinated between the departments, in this case in particular with the Foreign Office responsible for issuing visas. The Foreign Office did not respond until Monday afternoon.
On March 20, in response to a specific question about visas for Russian athletes who are military personnel, it said by email: “We ask for your understanding that we do not comment on hypothetical questions.” It pointed out “that security risks in the visa process are stricter be checked and a more restrictive visa allocation should take place”.
In Russia, on the other hand, Faeser’s announcement is seen as a decision: “We can break anyone’s neck and start defending our interests. We won’t get a visa,” Svetlana Zhurova, deputy chairwoman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs and Olympic champion in speed skating, told Russian media: “If Germany has done it now, other countries will follow, (…) all of Europe will do it all of a sudden.” Irina Rodnina, three-time Olympic champion in ice dancing and MP for Putin’s ruling party United Russia, spoke of the “last belch”.
