The IOC has banned discrimination in sports: it applies to everyone except Russians

“Athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments.”

Every day it becomes more and more obvious that the International Olympic Committee in its current form has almost completely exhausted itself. Approaching with giant steps towards its collapse.

The IOC took the next such step on November 1. One of its representatives, in response to a question from the German news agency DPA about possible manifestations of sports discrimination towards Israeli athletes, including at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris due to the conflict between Israel and Palestine, said that the IOC, it turns out, adheres to concepts of individual responsibility, and athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments. “The main idea of ​​the Olympic Games is to unite the whole world in peaceful competition. Sport should build bridges, not build walls or widen divisions. And if any discriminatory behavior by an athlete or manager occurs, the IOC will work with the relevant National Olympic Committee and the relevant International Federation to ensure swift action is taken, as will be the case at the Tokyo 2021 Olympic Games,” DPA quoted DPA as saying. committee representative. Reminiscent of the ten-year disqualification of Algerian judoka Fethi Nourin and his coach. Who withdrew from the competition to avoid a possible fight with an Israeli opponent, Tohar Butbul.

The IOC’s statement caused a great stir. And not only in our country. Because it again showed the depth of cynicism of the main (still) international sports organization.

We have once again seen that supporting the Palestinians in any form is one thing, but sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes, which are a classic example of collective responsibility, are, as you may have guessed, completely different. And the statement that athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments does not apply to our athletes.

However, with the leadership of the IOC, which is tightening the noose around the neck of the Olympic movement tighter and tighter, everything has long been clear. It is indicative how differently the world media reacted to this statement by the Olympic Committee.

The German ANTENNE NRW, for example, immediately wrote that any boycott of Israeli athletes and any support for the Palestinians is not some kind of active civic position, but the most ordinary anti-Semitism. Do you feel the difference? You don’t have to stand on ceremony with such people. In recent days, by the way, there are many examples of athletes in European teams and federations being fined and even expelled simply for depicting the Palestinian flag without any text on social networks.

The Turkish Daily Sabah adheres to a diametrically opposite point of view, already in the third paragraph of its article saying that such a position contradicts the anti-Russian sanctions of the IOC. Because more and more athletes around the world are beginning to understand: the Olympic Committee is not about sports. It’s about politics and money.

By warning of harsh sanctions against anyone who dares to offend Israeli athletes, the leaders of the International Olympic Committee themselves are becoming the main initiators of dividing the sports community along ethnic and religious lines. The more such manifestations of sports racism, the more athletes, primarily Palestinian and Arab, become ready for any sanctions.

That is why the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, at a briefing on November 2, demanded that the IOC immediately restore the rights of all Russian and Belarusian athletes who have suffered from the deliberate politicization of the international sports agenda. Otherwise, this will mean that the actions of the IOC in relation to our athletes were initially dictated by considerations of discrimination and segregation on political, national and ethnic grounds.

Unfortunately, it is unlikely that the overwhelming minority in the IOC leadership is able to admit their mistakes and adequately perceive reality. Fortunately, we are beginning to have our own new international sports structures and competitions. They cannot yet fully replace the old tournaments and championships. Bye.