International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach’s logic about the “70 recent other conflicts” globally, suggests that it is okay that Russia has attacked Ukraine. It is not. The attack is an illegal war. Bach’s rationale would make it seem reasonable that anyone is permitted to walk out of the Nike store without paying for merchandise because someone else did it at some point.
The backlash throughout Europe continues. The latest to disagree with Bach’s desire to have Russian athletes compete in the 2024 Paris Olympic Games comes from his own country, Germany.
According to the publication, Inside the Games, Germany’s Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has threatened to block Russian athletes from entering her country if they are permitted to compete internationally.
“Germany's Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has threatened to block Russian athletes from entering her country if they are permitted to compete internationally.” @insidethegames @iocmedia https://t.co/XvkZd8XeRe
— Global Athlete (@GlobalAthleteHQ) April 11, 2023
The IOC, led by Bach, has recommended that athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to return to the global sporting stage provided they do not openly support the invasion of Ukraine and are not affiliated with the military.
However, Faeser is opposed to the move and insists that the country’s authorities have the power to ensure Russian athletes do not compete on German soil.
“Countries that host major sports events are not powerless,” said Faeser in an interview with German newspaper publisher Funke Media Group.
“They can control whether Russians can participate in them by issuing visas.
“If we organise international competitions in Germany, we can act accordingly.
“Here we will always act with a clear position.”
Various NSOs protest
All Ukrainian Olympic sports federations signed a document Thursday, March 9 addressing the IOC. The request is for the IOC to uphold its ban of Russia and Belarus from the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
In February 2022, European Athletics President, Dobromir Karamarinov, sent a letter of support (see here) to Ukrainian Athletic Federation Acting President, Yevhen Pronin, in support.
Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic refused to play World Cup qualifiers in Russia. The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) said national teams competing in UEFA competitions would be played at neutral venues.
Denouncing the incursion
President Sebastian Coe and World Athletics released a statement in February 2022 denouncing the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
“World Athletics is appalled by developments in Ukraine and condemns the Russian military invasion,” World Athletics wrote in a statement.
Coe offered World Athletics senior vice-president Sergey Bubka, who is Ukrainian, and the Ukrainian Athletics Federation “whatever practical support we can give.”
THREAD
— SPORT & POLITICS (@JensWeinreich) April 7, 2023
Every day there is more evidence that the IOC and its President Thomas Bach are not to be trusted. The IOC is an obscene Olympic lying machine. It is currently producing nothing but dirty propaganda #RussiaWar #Ukraine.
Let me prove this to with a disgraceful example
/1 pic.twitter.com/d0Kk0Npalp
The Russian Athletics Federation has been suspended since 2015 for systematic doping, corruption, data manipulation, and various other charges.
According to the publication, Inside the Games, the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine and Minister of Youth and Sports in Ukraine Vadym Guttsait wrote, “I call on you once again to support Ukraine’s position on the non-participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, including the Olympic Games Paris 2024, in any status, as soon as this military aggression continues.”
Russian athletes competed during the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games in 2021. There was a delegation of nearly 350 who attended the event. However, the Russian flag and national anthem were never seen or heard. Russian athletes won dozens of medals.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo
It was reported here earlier this week that the Paris mayor is against having a Russian delegation in her city during the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, while Russia wages its illegal war in Ukraine.
Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, France said that she does not want a Russian delegation at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games while the country wages war in Ukraine.
“As long as Russia continues to wage war on Ukraine, I don’t want there to be a Russian delegation at the Paris 2024 Games.
“I would find that indecent.
“It is not possible to parade as if nothing had happened, to have a delegation come to Paris, while the bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine,” she said.
German Canoeing Association
As reported by the publication, Inside the Games, the German Canoe Association (DKV) has called upon the International Olympic Committee (IOC) “to clarify fundamental questions in sport” as it vowed to continue its exclusion of Russian and Belarusian canoeists from international events in Germany.
“We are aware that a reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into the world of sports, as suggested by the IOC, would be extremely difficult,” DKV President Jens Perlwitz said.
“In our opinion, the current trend emanating from the IOC is not in line with the Olympic movement.
“You have to think hard about whether a state that is waging aggressive war is allowed to be part of the Olympic family, whether that state is allowed to host the Olympic Games and whether athletes from that state are allowed to participate in the Games.”
There are many more.