The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has taken away Malaysia's hosting of the World Swimming Championships. The reason: The organizers denied guarantees for Israeli athletes. This decision was made by the IPC at a summit meeting in London. The World Cup should be held in Kuching from July 29th to August 4th. A replacement organizer is not found yet.
"Every World Cup needs to be open to all qualified athletes and nations to compete safely and without discrimination," said IPC President Andrew Parsons. "If a host country excludes athletes from a particular country for political reasons, it will work for us no other choice - we have to look for a new organizer. "
According to the IPC, the Ministry of the Interior of Malaysia has made no guarantee that Israeli athletes will be able to participate in the World Cup "free of discrimination and safety". The IPC protocol would also include playing the anthem, hoisting the flag and the entry permit for the members of the delegation.
The IPC emphasized in its statement that all of these rights had been guaranteed by Malaysia at the World Cup in September 2017. "But then there was a change of government, and the new government has other ideas," Parsons said. "Politics and sport should never be mixed."
Actually 600 swimmers from 60 nations in Kuching should fight for the titles. The IPC is now looking for a new organizer. Interested parties should contact us by February 11th. The World Cup, which also serves as qualification for the Paralympics 2020 in Tokyo, should be held as far as possible at the scheduled time. "Maybe we have to be flexible given the circumstances," Parsons said.