Joint signal to the IOC: 35 countries are opposed to the plans to allow Russia and Belarus to compete and compete again under certain conditions. A boycott is also being discussed.
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No. A boycott of the Olympic Games was not a serious option in the group of sports ministers from 35 nations this Friday, including European countries such as France and Germany, but also representatives from the USA and Japan. Poland's Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk said afterwards that it was “pointless” to deal with a boycott at the moment, but that “the scenario cannot be ruled out.” According to the Lithuanian government, however, the group was largely in agreement on the exclusion of Russia and Belarus from international competitions. In view of the war of aggression in Ukraine, there should be no return of activists from these countries until further notice. Everything else is a “serious mistake” by the IOC, emphasized Austria's Sports Minister Werner Kogler. This position is also to be recorded in the near future in a joint statement that Lucy Fraser, Great Britain's State Secretary for Sport, is preparing.
Zelenskij added as a guest< /p>
The government representatives had been connected for a good hour and a half. The British government had invited. However, the Ukrainian President Volodymir Selenskij started with a short speech. His position on the cause is well known: The International Olympic Committee's plans to open competitions to athletes from Russia and Belarus is “an attempt to explain to the whole world that terror is okay.” High-ranking representatives from other countries had also taken a negative stance in the past few days.
Zelensky set the tone for the talks, which were primarily about finding a common response to the IOC's announcement. The Olympic guardians are aiming for athletes from both countries to return to the international sports stage under a neutral flag. The condition should be that the activists clearly commit themselves to the Olympic charter and do not actively support the war in Ukraine. IOC President Thomas Bach recently declared that an exclusion “because of a passport or place of birth” violates the ban on discrimination.
Also support for IOC position
The Ukraine had even threatened a boycott of Paris for this reason. Bach had harshly criticized this in a letter to the Ukrainian NOC. This behavior violates “the foundations and principles of the Olympic Movement.” It is becoming apparent that the tone of the discussion is becoming rougher and that two camps are facing each other.
< p>Wants to end the ban on activists from Russia and Belarus: IOC President Dr. Thomas Bach
With his plea for an opening, IOC boss Bach is far from alone. He can draw on a larger faction that invokes the unifying task of sport. According to the IOC, supporters include the Asian Olympic Council, an association of 45 National Olympic Committees, including those from India and China. In addition, there are a number of international trade associations and, last but not least, two United Nations experts repeatedly cited by the Ring Organization.
The opposing side, which advocates maintaining the exclusion from Russia, is primarily recruited from government representatives, most of whom are European Nations, athlete organizations and western as well as Baltic and of course Ukrainian individual athletes. They want to underline their position once again with the expected statement from London.