Forwarded from Russian MFA 🇷🇺
#Opinion by Maria Zakharova
💬 President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said at a news conference in Switzerland that whether Russian athletes can compete in the 2024 Olympic Games depends on how the political situation develops.
His words: “We do not know how the political situation evolves and how the [military operation] evolves. We hope that there will be peace soon, hopefully as soon as possible. But we can just monitor the situation. This is up to the political world to take these decisions and then when the time comes if the situation should change, we will take the appropriate actions.”
He also said that the sanctions imposed on the Russian athletes and sports functionaries who were banned from international sports competitions are intended to protect Russian and Belarusian athletes: “The safety of the Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials could not be guaranteed because of the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the [military operation].”
Well, thank you for your concern. But the IOC’s function is the opposite: it is to guarantee the safety of competition participants and to prevent the politisation of sports.
A little crash course. Pierre de Coubertin declared the principle of sports without politics. Below are international legal documents serving as grounds for cultivating this statement as one accepted by all.
1. The Olympic Charter:
➖ “Sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality”
➖ “Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
➖ “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
➖ “The IOC’s role is to cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity”
2. Resolutions by the UN General Assembly:
➖ A/RES/76/13 (2021): “The General Assembly supported the independence and autonomy of sport as well as the mission of the International Olympic Committee in leading the Olympic Movement and of the International Paralympic Committee in leading the Paralympic Movement, and recognized the unifying and conciliative nature of Olympic Games and major international sport events”
➖ A/RES/75/18 (2020): “The General Assembly supports the independence and autonomy of sport as well as the mission of the International Olympic Committee in leading the Olympic movement and of the International Paralympic Committee in leading the Paralympic movement”
➖ A/RES/64/4 (2009): “The goal of the Olympic movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which is based on mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play”
➖ A/RES/60/1 (2005): “Sports can foster peace and development and can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding”
➖ A/RES/48/11 (1993): “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind”
3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
➖ “No distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs”
The question for Thomas Bach is, are you no longer committed to these principles?
💬 President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach said at a news conference in Switzerland that whether Russian athletes can compete in the 2024 Olympic Games depends on how the political situation develops.
His words: “We do not know how the political situation evolves and how the [military operation] evolves. We hope that there will be peace soon, hopefully as soon as possible. But we can just monitor the situation. This is up to the political world to take these decisions and then when the time comes if the situation should change, we will take the appropriate actions.”
He also said that the sanctions imposed on the Russian athletes and sports functionaries who were banned from international sports competitions are intended to protect Russian and Belarusian athletes: “The safety of the Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials could not be guaranteed because of the deep anti-Russian and anti-Belarusian feelings in so many countries following the [military operation].”
Well, thank you for your concern. But the IOC’s function is the opposite: it is to guarantee the safety of competition participants and to prevent the politisation of sports.
A little crash course. Pierre de Coubertin declared the principle of sports without politics. Below are international legal documents serving as grounds for cultivating this statement as one accepted by all.
1. The Olympic Charter:
➖ “Sport occurs within the framework of society, sports organisations within the Olympic Movement shall apply political neutrality”
➖ “Every individual must have the possibility of practising sport, without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”
➖ “The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”
➖ “The IOC’s role is to cooperate with the competent public or private organisations and authorities in the endeavour to place sport at the service of humanity”
2. Resolutions by the UN General Assembly:
➖ A/RES/76/13 (2021): “The General Assembly supported the independence and autonomy of sport as well as the mission of the International Olympic Committee in leading the Olympic Movement and of the International Paralympic Committee in leading the Paralympic Movement, and recognized the unifying and conciliative nature of Olympic Games and major international sport events”
➖ A/RES/75/18 (2020): “The General Assembly supports the independence and autonomy of sport as well as the mission of the International Olympic Committee in leading the Olympic movement and of the International Paralympic Committee in leading the Paralympic movement”
➖ A/RES/64/4 (2009): “The goal of the Olympic movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which is based on mutual understanding, friendship, solidarity and fair play”
➖ A/RES/60/1 (2005): “Sports can foster peace and development and can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding”
➖ A/RES/48/11 (1993): “The goal of the Olympic Movement is to build a peaceful and better world by educating the youth of the world through sport, practised without discrimination of any kind”
3. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights:
➖ “No distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs”
The question for Thomas Bach is, are you no longer committed to these principles?