IOC President Thomas Bach will attend the FIFA World Cup to be held in Qatar from November 20 to December 18. The 68-year-old German thus helped rumors about a possible boycott from the world.
“I will go there for the opening and for the final,” said Bach, who as IOC president already attended the 2014 World Cups in Brazil and 2018 in Russia.
Several organizations have called for a boycott of the World Cup in Qatar because of human rights violations in the country and the ill-treatment of migrant workers. When asked, Bach said he would reject those calls for a boycott. “Our position is very clear: the major sporting events, and the Olympic Games in particular, are there to unite the world, not to divide it,” said the IOC president.