2023-06-22 11:33:51
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) does not intend to rush to make a decision on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Games in Paris, in the summer of 2024. Meeting for two days, Tuesday June 20 and Wednesday June 21 in Lausanne ( Switzerland), the executive committee of the organization preferred to postpone any communication on this subject, considering that “the right thing to do” is of “see how things are going”explained his spokesperson, Mark Adams.
“There is still a long time for this decision to be made”he argued, while adding: “I can’t give a timetable”. At the end of March, the IOC had recommended to international sports federations to reintegrate Russians and Belarusians under a neutral banner, provided that they did not support the war in Ukraine.
A dozen federations have already done so. Including judo, on the occasion of the last world championships, in Qatar, or even fencing, which chose to organize the individual European championships in Bulgaria, rather than in Poland within the framework of the European games, in order to be able to welcome Russians and Belarusians.
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Positions of Russian IOC members analyzed
In addition, the IOC Ethics Committee will examine the case of Russian members of the Olympic body, current and honorary. As for the sportsmen, it will analyze in detail their position on the conflict in Ukraine and their links with the army or national security agencies.
“In order to avoid having different standards between athletes, national officials and IOC members in Russia, the same conditions for participation in international IOC events apply”Mr. Adams said.
Are particularly concerned by this “investigation”, Yelena Isinbayeva and Shamil Tarpishchev, as well as the quadruple Olympic swimming champion Alexander Popov.
“The situation of the IOC members concerned will be assessed at the time of the events from February 24, 2022 and since then”said Adams.
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