Sports outside politics: how Bach’s statement will affect Russian athletes

President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach called on the G20 countries to be politically neutral in sports matters. According to him, athletes from all over the world, including from conflicting countries, should take part in the Olympics. At the same time, the IOC previously recommended not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions.

State Duma deputies Svetlana Zhurova and Dmitry Svishchev considered that Bach’s statement should be followed by the abolition of sanctions aggression against athletes from the Russian Federation and Belarus. Details – in the material .

Thomas Bach’s G20 Statement

IOC President Thomas Bach called on the G20 countries to remain politically neutral on sporting matters. According to him, athletes from all over the world should take part in the Olympics.

“It is necessary that all countries take part in the Olympic Games, including – and even in particular – conflicting countries. If only allied countries participate, there will be no real symbol of peace from the Olympic Games. There are not so many opportunities for humanity to unite”– Bach said at the G20, commenting on the removal of Russian athletes from competitions due to a special operation.

The IOC President noted that the sport will completely fall apart if it becomes a tool for political influence.

“Unlike other conflicts between countries in the past, this time some countries have decided that they have the right to refuse athletes to participate in the Olympics for political reasons. If sport becomes a tool for political influence, it will completely fall apart”– he said.

According to Bach, decisions should be made solely on the basis of sports results.

Cancel your own recommendations

Honored Master of Sports of Russia, State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova believes that Thomas Bach’s statement about the need to maintain political neutrality in matters of sports should be followed by appropriate actions.

“For example, an extraordinary meeting of the IOC members, who usually vote on such resolutions. There is a resolution, a recommendation, where Russian and Belarusian athletes are not allowed. Therefore, it would be good to convene back the IOC leaders so that they make a decision based on these words of Bach”– Zhurova said in an interview with .

The State Duma deputy believes that Bach’s words are intended for politicians who put pressure on him.

“On him, on those who voted on this recommendation at one time. It turns out that in this situation the Olympic Committee is not so independent anymore, that they have to do it in violation of the Olympic Charter, which states that all athletes, regardless on whether there is a conflict in the country, what the situation is, they should at least take part in a neutral status. But in our situation this is not so “– the Honored Master of Sports emphasized.

Zhurova also suggested that with his statement, the IOC president wants to provide an opportunity for Russian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games in 2024.

“Perhaps he wants to see how the press, fans and athletes will react to this, and based on this, it may be possible to convene some kind of extraordinary meeting so that our athletes, for example, have time (we know that selections have already begun in a number of sports sports for the Paris Olympics) to qualify for the competition. The decision must be made in the near future”the politician said.

“Cornered Everyone”

Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports Dmitry Svishchev expressed a similar point of view. He called Thomas Bach’s message that sport should be out of politics correct, and said that these words should be followed by an indication of the admission of Russian athletes to competitions without restrictions.

“Bach knows what an athlete’s career is, he knows how difficult it is for a sanctioned athlete. So let him do his job, let him instruct the federations to allow athletes without restrictions”– emphasized in an interview with Svishchev.

According to the deputy, the sanctions expire on December 16, and Russia will have the right to fully compete in any competition with its national symbols and paraphernalia.

“Therefore, Bach must remove all restrictions from December 16. His words should not be at odds with deeds. He should turn to the federations, to the Russian and Belarusian Olympic committees and decide on how the guys should integrate today into sports life”– said the chairman of the State Duma committee.

At the same time, the politician recalled that it was with Thomas Bach that the problems began, which resulted in sanctions against Russian athletes.

“Unfortunately, it was with Mr. Bach that everything started. The problems that are now pouring out in sanctions for Russian sports began with him. In his speech, he made beautiful messages and expressions that sport should be out of politics. practically directive instructions from the federation that it is now impossible to let Russian and Belarusian athletes because of the conflict. To whom does he tell at the summit that the politicization of sports should be excluded? corner and now does not know how to get out of it”– Svishchev believes.

Sanctions aggression against Russian athletes

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the sanctions aggression unleashed against the Russian Federation in the field of sports contradicts the principle “sport is out of politics.”

“Russian athletes, in fact, are deprived of the opportunity to represent their country, and the voice of Russia in international specialized organizations is deliberately ignored. This situation contradicts the very values ​​\u200b\u200bof sport, the main of which are mutual respect and the principle of “sport is out of politics”– said the head of state, addressing the participants of the International Sports Forum “Russia – a Sports Power”.

Recall that after the start of the special operation in Ukraine, Russian athletes were persecuted by international organizations that banned athletes from the Russian Federation from participating in international competitions.

Thus, the IOC recommended not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international competitions. In response to this, the Olympic high jump champion Maria Lasitskene addressed the head of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach with an open letter, where she asked to cancel the recommendation. On June 19, it became known that the IOC was not going to review the suspension of Russian athletes.

The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said that the recommendation of the International Olympic Committee not to allow athletes from Russia to compete hits the very idea of ​​​​the Olympic movement and world sports in general.

On August 14, the head of the WADA commission investigating the doping scandal at the Sochi Olympics, Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, called for Russian athletes to be admitted to international competitions. He stressed that the Russians are being treated unfairly.

On September 15, the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, called the decision to remove athletes from the Russian Federation a dilemma that the IOC will solve in the future.