Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), said Wednesday that the recommendations made by his body against Russia and Belarus for the invasion of Ukraine have been “taken with great regret in all respects, also by Russian athletes.”
“We have made this decision with great regret in all respects, also for the Russian athletes. But it is the responsibility of the Russian government. We cannot fall for the propaganda that comes from there saying that it is a political act. They are the consequences of violating the Olympic laws by your government,” Bach said.
“We hope that in the interest, not only of the athletes, but of the world of sport, this situation ends as soon as possible and we can return to our mission of having the whole world together around sport,” he declared at a conference. press with international media, where he also explained the non-suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee arguing that the sanctions go only against those who have promoted the war.
Among the suggestions made by the IOC is not to organize competitions in both countries and not to allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions. In the event that this cannot be avoided, they suggest that they at least do so as neutrals without displaying flags, national colours, symbols or anthems.
The latter is what will happen at the Beijing Paralympic Games that start this Friday: “It is recommendation number two, the IPC has made this decision that is in line with the general recommendations of the executive panel. We fully respect this decision.”
In this sense, they are satisfied with the response of the federations: “We are very satisfied that many international federations join these recommendations and make it clear that it is a sanction against the Russian government, that they are protection measures for the competition and the athletes. They are not against Russian people, against Russian athletes, against Russian sports organizations.”
“Sanctions are directed at those who are responsible for the war. We know that some of them are trying to make us believe, in a propaganda effort, that this is the politicization of sport. It is a propaganda stunt because the sanctions are the consequence of the violation of the Olympic rules, nothing more”, he stressed.
Bach, stated: “This war has had consequences that affect the whole world, not only Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. It affects all aspects of life, not only politics and economics, but also culture, business and sport. The goal is to contribute to peace through sport. There can be no doubt where we are in this situation. We are on the side of peace and we want to make it very clear.”
On the other hand, he assured that he has not spoken with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, that they monitor the situation to adapt to it in their decisions and that they are trying to register the members of the Ukrainian Olympic community who are currently refugees.
“We don’t know how many members of the Ukrainian Olympic community have left the country and are refugees right now, or where they are. We are working on it and hope to meet you soon. I hope we can communicate it in the next few days, ”she assured.
He also valued those Russian athletes who defend peace: “We have seen some clearly giving their opinion in favor of peace. On the other hand, we have seen thousands of Russians defending peace who have been arrested.
“We must bear in mind that there appears to be a risk for the Russians to speak out for peace and we must not interpret a silence as endorsing war. We have contacted many Russian sports officials and there is no doubt that they are in line with peace and with the mission of the committee”, he added.
As for his personal vision, he indicated: “It’s horrifying, it’s not the first we’ve seen. You see these horrible images, children dying, children not being able to go to school… it’s horrible. It is a human tragedy and it goes straight to the heart. Sometimes I wish I could do more.” (D)
Source: Eluniverso
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