Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has criticized the IOC’s call to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete again as “neutral athletes” in international competitions. It was impossible “not to be disappointed by the attitude of the IOC President.”
“I invite Mr. Bach to Bachmut, there he can see with his own eyes that neutrality does not exist”the Ukrainian President announced in a video post on Twitter: “It is obvious that every neutral banner of Russian athletes is stained with blood.”
Thomas Bach and the IOC he leads had previously announced that they wanted to enable Russian athletes to return to world sport. The conditions: You are only allowed to start as “neutral athletes” and the war against Ukraine “do not actively support”.
DOSB supports the IOC’s request, athletes Germany does not
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) also supports the IOC’s request, but demands it “strict requirements”as the association announced to the sports information service on Thursday.
Maximilian Klein, director of the independent German athletes’ representation Athletes Germany, disagrees. “We haven’t gotten to that point yet”, Klein said on Friday on ZDF. The plan comes “Wrong timing. Russia continues brutal war of aggression and intensifies attacks on Ukrainian civilians”said Klein: “So we can’t talk about re-admitting Russian athletes now.”
Putin also used “neutral athletes” for propaganda in 2022
Sport is a propaganda tool of President Vladimir Putin. In 2014, the Winter Olympics took place in Sochi, and in 2018 the men’s soccer World Cup was held in Russia, despite the illegal annexation of Crimea.
Because of the doping scandal, Russia also had to send “neutral athletes” to the Winter Games in Beijing in 2022. Some of them later showed themselves to be less than neutral with their medals at a Putin propaganda event in Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium, some with the war symbol “Z” on their jackets.
it is impossible “not to be disappointed by the attitude of the IOC President”, Zelenskyy said. He has “more than once” talked to Bach and never realized “how he wants to protect the sport from war propaganda by allowing Russian athletes to compete internationally”. Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Hutzayt wrote on Facebook that he might support a boycott of the Olympics in Ukraine “do not exclude”.
“Neutral Athletes” from Russia at a propaganda show at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow
Bach’s argument: Nobody should be excluded because of their passport
Bach reiterated his stance on Friday (January 27th, 2023) on the sidelines of the Luge World Championships in Oberhof. It corresponds “not the values and mission of the Olympic Charter to exclude athletes because of their passport”said Bach.
But he also knows the view of the Ukrainian side. This not only wants to isolate Russia as a state, “but one strives for the total isolation of all Russians, no matter what opinion someone has about the war”said Bach. “This is not compatible with the Olympic charter”prohibiting discrimination.
A picture from 2018: Russia’s President Vladimir Putin (right) and IOC chief Thomas Bach.
ARD expert: “Sport softens sanctions as the first social area”
“The time for the IOC is of course pressing”says ARD expert Robert Kempe. “In 2023, the qualifying competitions will take place in the sports associations. That’s why it’s important to hurry.” The summer games in Paris are planned for 2024.
Sport found it very difficult to react to the Russian aggression, says Kempe: “Now sport is probably the first area of society that wants to soften the sanctions.” Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022 – three days after the closing ceremony of the Winter Games in Beijing. Scores of Ukrainian athletes have since been killed or robbed of their training opportunities and livelihoods.
World Athletics Association initially adheres to the exclusion
The World Athletics Federation spoke out against the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus. “World Athletics’ position is that Russian and Belarusian athletes continue to be banned from international competitions”World Athletics announced on Friday at the request of the German Press Agency.
World Athletics now wants to decide at the executive meeting from March 21-23, chaired by President Sebastian Coe, based on a report from the independent Russia task force, whether the doping-related suspension of Russia can be lifted, it said. “If the Council agrees, it will deal with the expulsion of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”announced the world association.