The International Olympic Committee (IOC)that the stance in favor of exploring ways for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition under a neutral flag caused mixed reactions, He appealed to “history”, which would show “who does more for peace”.
In an update to its “Questions and Answers” document on the issue, in which it regularly sets out its position and responds to criticism it receives, the body asked: “Does the IOC’s current position place it on the wrong side of history?”.
And he answered himself: “Nope. History will show who works more for peace: those who try to keep the lines of communication open or those who want to isolate or divide. The IOC and the Olympic Movement have demonstrated this in the past with great success. Some recent examples are what we did between North and South Korea, in relation to Israel and Palestine, and in Kosovo, among many others.”
The accusation that the IOC is “on the wrong side of history” It was developed verbatim in a statement by a representation of Ukrainian athletes, which opposed the readmission of athletes from Russia, Ukraine’s aggressor country, and from Belarus, its ally.
“Do you understand the reaction to the IOC position?“, the Committee asked itself in its document.
“There have been several statements showing concern, especially from the Baltic countries and some others. Unfortunately, what they did not address were the problems of human rights. In this sense, we have no answer. However, we must consider (the statements),” he said.
“But ultimately, it is not up to governments who can participate in sports competitions, because that will be the end of international competitions, world championships and the Olympic Games as we know them. We take it all into account. We are looking for a solution that does justice to the mission of sport, which is to unite, not contribute to more clashes,” the IOC said.
“What do you say to Ukrainian athletes who say it is unfair that Russians and Belarusians are competing again this time?“He pointed to his new questions.
“The IOC has been in close contact with many Ukrainian athletes over the past few months, many of whom are receiving support through the IOC Solidarity Fund,” he recalled. “We always get along well with them because they know how much we share their pain and human suffering, and they recognize all the efforts we make to help them.”
“Of course“, he added, “we also talked about the mission of the Olympic Movement and international sport to unite the whole world, as we do with athletes affected by other wars that, unfortunately, are happening in the world today”.
“This is a fair debate“, The IOC considers, “and all Ukrainian athletes can be sure that we fully sympathize with them and all their comments are taken into account.”
The readmission of Russians and Belarusians to international competitions will open the door to their participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Gamesan option that, according to the IOC, will be considered for individual athletes under a neutral flag, never as part of a national delegation.
Source: La Verdad
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