Author: Cozmin Gușă
The International Olympic Committee depoliticises the world sport, and will allow Russian and Belarussian athletes to participate in competitions. Macron wants them present at the Paris Olympics!
Today I tell you a salutary event from world sport, which is likely to normalize the participation in sports competitions, including Russian and Belarussian athletes, who will be able to defend their titles and demonstrate the value in competitions. The events described have taken place in the last days.
At the recent Olympic Summit, chaired by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, it was unanimously agreed to follow an initiative proposed by the Asian Olympic Council (AOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions. (Sources Insidethegames.biz and Olympics.com)
Members of the 11th Olympic Summit, held in Lausanne, have agreed that the IOC should “further explore the AOC initiative on the participation of athletes who fully respect the Olympic Charter and sanctions.” This initiative is to be discussed in the next round of IOC consultations with its members, international federations and national Olympic committees. It is understood that the OCA is considering the re-entry of Russian and Belarussian athletes to the qualifying events in Paris in 2024, and they will compete with the displayed Olympic emblems and not under the national flags.
The IOC policy announced four days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was reiterated on February 24, confirming that “sanctions against Russian and Belarussian states and governments remain firmly in force”, but there was no reference in this regard to athletes, which were part of the initial exclusion recommended by the IOC on February 28. Recently, the IOC has tried to clarify that this recommendation was a “protection measure” for athletes. Participants at the Olympic Summit agreed to implement the initiative suggested by the Asian Olympic Council that proposed that Russian and Belarusian athletes be reintegrated into world competitions. AOC has offered to facilitate the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in competitions in Asia under its authority, while respecting the sanctions in force.
The representatives of the international federations welcomed this initiative, considering it as a viable option, but they support the freedom of choice of each federation. Robin Mitchell, president of the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC), welcomed the AOC initiative, considering it a major step in restoring the unity of all 206 national Olympic committees. Therefore, we are trying to return to the normal values proposed by the Olympic movement, their main mission being to unite athletes from all over the world in a peaceful competition. The other representatives present, including the president of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) and the president of the Association of National Olympic Committees in Africa, also supported the opinions expressed.
Regarding the political support for this salutary action of the IOC, French sources close to the Elysee Palace said that Emmanuel Macron addressed in talks with Joe Biden last week the need of participation by Russian and Belarussian athletes in international sports competitions and that he will also make the public announcement that these athletes will be participating in the Olympics. The President of France, the host of the following Olympic and Paralympic Games, informed the IOC president about his approach, then said: “Sport should not be politicized. These major events are meant to allow athletes from all countries, sometimes including war countries, to bring sports to life. Also, to find, through sports, ways to discuss where people can no longer talk to each other – I think this should be kept. “
Through this initiative of the Olympic Movement, supported by several world leaders, but also by sportsmen, we are trying to depoliticize the sport, invoking several arguments: • adopting the resolution “Sport as a factor of sustainable development” by the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN). This resolution acknowledged that the great international sporting events “should be organized in the spirit of peace” and “that the unifying and conciliatory nature of these events should be respected.” It also supports the political neutrality of the Olympic Movement and “the independence and autonomy of the sport, as well as the mission of the International Olympic Committee in the management of the Olympic Movement”. • Csaba Kőrösi, president of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, said: “I encourage all Member States to preserve the unifying spirit of sport and the Olympic movement. It is much more promising for the world if nations compete on sports grounds than on battlefields. The first makes us nobler and stronger, the second leaves behind death and devastation ”. • Representatives of the Special Rapporteur in the field of Cultural Rights and of the Special Rapporteur on Contemporary Forms of Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Intolerance of the UN Human Rights Council express “serious concern about the recommendation to prohibit Russian and Belarussian athletes and officials, such as juries, to participate in international competitions, to participate in international competitions as a matter of principle. This raises serious non-discrimination issues. ” • Participation of many athletes from Russia and Belarus in national leagues abroad and in various international sports competitions, including cycling and tennis. The only ones who opposed very vehemently to the initiative initiated by the International Olympic Committee were the ones from World Athletics. British Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, said the organization he runs will not be willing to lift sanctions until Moscow ends the conflict. “It’s simple. Get out of Ukraine! ” It was the message transmitted by Sebastian Coe at a meeting of the World Athletics Council in Rome. Sanctions against Russia and Belarus included: prohibiting the organization of any international sporting event by the Federations or the National Olympic Committee of the two countries, prohibiting the display of flags, hymns or representative colors of these two countries at any sporting event and so on. However, the Summit firmly rejected these measures of governments, considering them an unacceptable interference with the autonomy of sports organizations and their political neutrality. At the same time, the Summit emphasized that participating in sports competitions should be based exclusively on the sports merits of an athlete and on the abidement to the rules of sport.