IOC warns against discrimination against athletes due to war in Israel – Kommersant
[ad_1]
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will take swift action in cases of discrimination by athletes or officials against athletes amid the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. An IOC representative told the DPA agency about this when answering a question about possible conflicts on the eve of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
“Athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments. If discriminatory behavior by an athlete or official occurs, the IOC will work with the relevant National Olympic Committee and the International Federation to ensure prompt action is taken,” an IOC spokesperson said (quoted by Die Tageszeitung).
As the agency’s interlocutor noted, he expects that “many Arab or pro-Palestinian” athletes will boycott the Olympic Games. However, according to him, if political forces dividing people decide who is allowed to compete, only those “belonging to political blocs of like-minded people” will be able to take part in them.
The IOC representative mentioned that the committee has already sanctioned athletes due to discrimination against other athletes. Thus, during the Olympic Games in Tokyo, Algerian judoka Fethi Nourin withdrew from the competition, explaining that he did not want to fight the Israeli. Following this, the International Judo Federation suspended him for 10 years for violating the Olympic Charter.
[ad_2]
Source link
