Austrian Sports Minister Werner Kogler spoke out against the participation of Russians in the 2024 Olympics
Austrian Sports Minister Werner Kogler spoke out against the participation of the Russian team in the 2024 Olympics. His words are quoted by Der Standard.
Kogler said that it is unacceptable to allow the Russians to compete for medals with other athletes. “The criticism of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) about a possible boycott of Ukraine should be rejected. In Tokyo, 45 out of 71 medals were won by military personnel. At the Winter Games in Beijing, a third of the participants from the Russian Olympic Committee team served in the army, ”he explained his position.
On February 7, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands spoke out against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international tournaments. In their opinion, the Russians should not be allowed because of the situation in Ukraine. Earlier, the sports ministers of Poland, Lithuania and Latvia also called on the IOC to prevent Russians from competing.
On January 25, the IOC announced that it was considering the possibility of individual admission to competitions for Russian and Belarusian athletes. It was noted that only athletes who did not support the conduct of a special operation in Ukraine and did not violate anti-doping rules will be able to get permission to compete in international tournaments.
Source: Lenta
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