The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee recommended that Monday exclude the Russians and Belarus from sports competitions, after the Russian invasion in Ukraine.
Le Monde with AFP
The Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended, Monday, February 28, to ban the Russians and Belarus of sports competitions, after the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Symbolic but strong measurement, she also withdrew “the Olympic order” to all Russian senior officials, starting with President Vladimir Putin.
In a statement, the IOC Executive Board “recommends international sports federations and the organizers of sporting events not to invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarus official athletes and officials in international competitions”. The IOC specifies that it has made this decision “to protect the integrity of international sports competitions and for the security of the participants”.
If “for organizational or legal reasons”, it is not possible to prevent the coming of Russian athletes, the IOC asks that they can not be “authorized to participate under the name of Russia or From Belarus “. The question is particularly urgent for the Paralympic Games, which start Friday in Beijing.
Break with its traditional neutrality
“when, in very extreme circumstances,” put in place these measures “is not possible in the short term for organizational or legal reasons, the IOC Executive Board leaves to the organization concerned to find its own path “, according to the proceeding, which” particularly looked at the next Paralympic Winter Games [from 4 to 13 March] “and” reiterated his full support for the International Paralympic Committee (CPI) and the Games ” .
Out of his traditional neutrality, the IOC had already prompted, Friday, February 25, the international sports federations to cancel or relocate the sporting events organized in Russia or Belarus, Allied Moscow. Believing that these two countries violated the Olympic truce, the IOC also requested that neither the Russian flag nor the Belarusian flag be hoisted during an international sporting event and the hymns of these two countries are not played.
The IOC welcomed “the many appeals to peace launched by athletes, sports managers and members of the global Olympic community. The IOC admires and supports the Calls for Peace of Russian athletes”.
Another hot topic, the dams of the World Football 2022: Poland, Sweden and Czech Republic, potential opponents of the Russians, all said their intention not to face them, even if their opponents align with another name than that of their country, as proposed FIFA.