President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach & his politics
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. MORE