The Ukraine conflict is also overshadowing the Paralympic Games in Beijing, which open on Friday (March 4). For DSB President Friedhelm Julius Beucher it is clear that the games should take place. In an interview with the sports show, however, he calls for Russian athletes not to be allowed to take part in the Parlaympics.
“Paralympics should be peaceful games”
“Vladimir Putin shoots at the neighboring country and deploys the military. It is beyond my imagination that Russian athletes march into the stadium or compete in a competition. The Olympics and Paralympics are supposed to be peaceful games“, emphasizes Becher.
The 75-year-old points out that the athletes do not compete as Russian private athletes, but as representatives of the Russian sports system. “That may be unfair in individual cases, but that would be a mockery of the solidarity of the international sports world if you said it wasn’t your fault.”according to Beuchert.
“Attack contradicts the Olympic Truce”
Putin’s attack on Ukraine took place while the so-called “Olympic Truce” was still in effect. “That contradicts the UN ratified peace obligation – a treaty that was only signed by Russia in December. The Olympic truce is also a Paralympic truce.”
Beucher accuses Russian President Putin of breaching his word“And if that has no consequences, then such contracts are not worth the paper they are written on. The sports world has to defend itself.”
“Give a sign to the peaceful world”
That’s why the 75-year-old also addressed the President of the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Andrew Parsons on the joint flight to Beijing and asked for action. “Give a sign to the peaceful world!”
The Brazilian then withdrew – with the indication that there was no corresponding set of rules. Beucher met with a lack of understanding: “You are hosts and as I understand it, a host decides who attends and who doesn’t.”