Ukrainian President Zelenskyy speaks at an international video conference of sports ministers. These position themselves clearly in relation to an Olympic start by Russians and Belarusians.
With the demand for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, sports politicians from 35 nations have increased the pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
At a joint conference call, they agreed to draft a statement to prevent attempts to send athletes from Russia and Belarus back to international sports competitions, the Lithuanian Ministry of Sports said on its website.
“We demand the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes from all international competitions, including the Olympic Games, as long as the war in Ukraine continues,” said Minister Jurgita Šiugždinienė.
The video consultation took place at the initiative of Great Britain. British Sport Minister Lucy Frazer wrote on Twitter that it was a very productive meeting. “And I made Britain’s position very clear: as long as Putin continues his barbaric war, Russia and Belarus must not be represented at the Olympics. We will now issue a joint statement on this issue.”
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy protested against the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in international competitions at an international video conference of sports ministers and other high-ranking officials. “While Russia is killing and terrorizing, representatives of this terrorist state have no place in sports and Olympic competitions,” said Zelenskyy. He published his speech on his Telegram channel. Because of the Russian war of aggression, even a neutral flag is ultimately soaked in blood and cannot be carried.
Ukraine threatens boycott
Ukraine also sees Belarus as a party to the war because the country provides Russian troops with military bases for attacks. Zelenskyj called on the officials to work to protect the Olympic principles and to prevent Russian athletes from being admitted to the competitions. The President also renewed his criticism of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which “unfortunately has lost its honesty”.
The reason for the conference was the IOC’s announcement that it wanted to enable athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international competitions under certain conditions. Ukraine is also threatening a boycott if the IOC allows the athletes.
The Federal Ministry of the Interior also takes a position
The Federal Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for sports, subsequently stated that it had also confirmed during the consultations that it would reject the start of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris. “In our view, there is no reason to invite Russian and Belarusian sport to return to competitions. The Ukrainian athletes must continue to have the full solidarity and support of the international sports community. The IOC’s efforts to resume the Russian and Belarusian athletes Athletes is the wrong way,” said a spokesman for the Ministry of the Interior when asked by dpa.
Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) had already emphasized at the end of January: “Sport should be clear in its condemnation of the brutal war that Putin is waging against the Ukrainian civilian population. Major sporting events do not take place in a vacuum.” Russia, on the other hand, emphasizes that sport and politics must be separated.
Currently, Russia and Belarus are excluded from many international sports competitions. However, the IOC is aiming for athletes from both countries to return to the international sports stage under neutral flags, provided they clearly commit 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.