Thomas Bach called for an end to discrimination against Ukrainian athletes

French President Emmanuel Macron, during a meeting with the head of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach, confirmed his commitment to the performance of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Olympics in Paris in a neutral status. This was announced by the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, on Thursday during an extraordinary session of the organization, which takes place in a virtual format. “The position of the G7 and our approach were also discussed during my meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron,” Mr. Bach said. “We confirmed our agreement and that the decision to admit Russians and Belarusians to the Paris Olympics will be taken by the IOC at the right time, and we will continue to cooperate on this issue.” The head of the IOC noted that the position of the organization is supported by the vast majority of the international community. “It understands the difficult situation the sport is facing and supports our actions,” said Thomas Bach.

The IOC President also criticized the Ukrainian government for its ban on the participation of Ukrainian athletes in tournaments in which Russian and Belarusian athletes also compete. “There were no Ukrainian athletes at the world championships in judo and taekwondo,” said Thomas Bach at an extraordinary IOC session held in Lausanne. “Why? Because they were not allowed to participate, based on the instructions of the Ukrainian Ministry of Sports. In other words, Ukrainian athletes were sanctioned by their own government.” “It is difficult to understand why the government of Ukraine is depriving its own athletes of the chance to qualify for the 2024 Olympics, and its citizens of the opportunity to be proud of their compatriots,” said Thomas Bach. tennis, they are allowed to compete in cycling, but they are not allowed to compete in swimming.

Thomas Bach’s speech, apparently, did not take into account the latest changes made by the Ukrainian authorities to the rules of participation in international tournaments mentioned by the head of the IOC. Earlier, the Ukrainian Ministry of Sports really directly forbade its athletes to compete in the same competitions with Russian and Belarusian athletes. But at the beginning of the week, the corresponding order was adjusted. Now it refers to the ban on the participation of official Ukrainian delegations in the said tournaments. It is possible to interpret such a wording in the widest possible range.

Alexander Petrov