“This war was not started by the Russian people, or by the Russian athletes, or by the Russian Olympic Committee, or by the IOC members in Russia. Sanctions can only be imposed on those who are responsible for something”: with this argument the president of the International Olympic Committee, the German Thomas Bach, defended the presence of the Olympic leaders of Russia and Belarus at the ANOC meetingwhich started this Wednesday in Seoul.
Some of those attending the meeting of the Association of National Olympic Committees regretted sharing the stage with Russian and Belarusian representatives, while the Ukrainians had to follow the debates electronically, from their invaded country.
“should be the other way around“said the chairman of the Danish committee, Hans Natorp
Bach asked him to respect the position of the majority.
Instead, the top Olympic leader justified the sanctions against Russian athletes, who cannot compete or must do so without their national symbols, for the reason that the measure is protective for them, in the face of the threat of third countries not allowing them to compete or denying them an entry visa. But the IOC took it, he said, “with a heavy heart” at what it called a “dead end” crossroads.
“In the interest of all, we will firmly oppose any politicization of sport“, he added.
Thomas Bach also referred to the financial crisis and the growing inflation in almost every planet and encouraged the national committees to review their schedule of activities “and decide which competitions and which meetings are really necessary, because of dangerous situation facing the economic world”.
South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol also attended the opening of the meetingswhere Fijian Robin Mitchell, who has been in office since 2018, will be endorsed as president on Thursday. They will be the first elections since 2014.
Mitchell revealed that eleven committees expressed their concern about the presence of Russian and Belarusian delegations in Seoul, but he called for the unity of the Olympic family.
The Latvian delegation did not attend this first day, as it is concerned if Russia is present. There are 187 committees that meet at the Seoul convention center, out of the 204 that make up ANOC.
In the afternoon session, assembly members heard a report from the organizers of the II World Beach Games, in Bali in 2023.
Source: La Verdad
I’m an experienced news author and editor based in New York City. I specialize in covering healthcare news stories for Today Times Live, helping to keep readers informed on the latest developments related to the industry. I have a deep understanding of medical topics, including emerging treatments and drugs, the changing laws that regulate healthcare providers, and other matters that affect public health.
