IOC calls for boycott of Russia’s ‘Friendship Games’

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) considers that the competitions that Russia wants to organize as an alternative to the Olympic Games, under the name of ‘Friendship Games’, have a “political” nature and violate the Olympic Charter and called on governments and sports organizations not to participate in them.

In a ‘Declaration against the politicization of sport’, made public this Tuesday, the IOC indicates that “contrary to the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter and the resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, The Russian government intends to organize sporting events in Russia with political motivations“.

The government said, he points out, “created and funded the ‘International Friendship Association (IFA), to organize the ‘Friendship Games’ in the summer” (Moscow and Yekaterinburg in September) and winter (Sochi in 2026).

Russia will have limited participation in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, due to sanctions stemming from the war in Ukraine and the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee. Only a few individual athletes, who did not support the war or belong to army clubs, could compete in Paris, but as neutrals.

According to the IOC, whose Executive is meeting in Lausanne (Switzerland), “the Russian government has launched a very serious diplomatic offensive” for ambassadors and authorities to contact governments around the world, to encourage participation in their alternative games.

“To make their purely political motivations even more apparent, they deliberately distance themselves from the sports organizations of the countries they target. This is a blatant violation of the Olympic Charter and, at the same time, a violation of various UN resolutions” , points out the IOC in its Declaration.

“This is a cynical attempt by the Russian Federation to politicize sport“, he assured. “The IOC Athletes’ Commission, which represents all Olympic athletes in the world, is clearly against their use for political propaganda.”

The IOC also recalls that the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) warned last week that competitions in Russia are beyond all control.

“The Russian government also shows a complete lack of respect for international rules against doping and the integrity of competitions.” said the IOC. “This is the same government that was involved in the systemic doping program at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics and, subsequently, in the manipulation of anti-doping data.”

For all these reasons “the Olympic Movement strongly condemns any initiative of the total politicization of sport, especially the establishment of fully politicized sports competitions by the Russian government” and “strongly” urges all party of the Olympic Movement and governments “to refuse any participation. “in these initiatives.