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International Olympic Committee (IOC) Chairman Thomas Bach, who has the greatest influence in the international sports world, visited Korea on the afternoon of the 16th to attend the General Assembly of the National Olympic Committee (ANOC) held in Seoul.
Chairman Bach had an exclusive interview with SBS on the 20th (yesterday) at the COEX Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul, which is used as a lodging for the ANOC General Assembly officials.
Chairman Bach first praised the promotion of the 2036 Seoul Olympics, which has recently emerged as an issue, saying, "Korea has very good conditions to host the Olympics again."
He emphasized that "it's good to jump into the race early," as if considering that more than 10 cities around the world have already expressed their willingness to host.
It also left open the possibility of additional sanctions on North Korea, where the IOC disciplinary action ends at the end of this year.
He said, "Another sanctions are likely if a North Korean athlete who is eligible to participate in the 2024 Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics boycotts for political reasons."
In other words, it is not subject to disciplinary action if the North Korean players fail to qualify for the final due to lack of performance, but it means that it is difficult to avoid sanctions if the players who are qualified to participate in the final or who have won do not participate.
Since the Winter Youth Olympics, the world's biggest festival of youth, will be held in January 2024, if North Korea imposes additional sanctions, it will be virtually impossible to participate in the Paris Olympics in July 2024.
The following is a Q&A with Chairman Bach.
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Q. What do you think of the city's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics?
"Korea hosted the 1988 and 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics very successfully, and these two events are being evaluated as having instilled enthusiasm for the Olympics in Koreans. In addition, they have experience in successfully hosting various international competitions, such as various world championships. The heritage is being put to good use. I think Korea has a very good condition to host the Olympics again."
Q. What advice would you give to the city of Seoul?
"The race has already started, so it's better not to wait too long. I think it's good to jump into the race early and let the world know about Seoul's strengths."
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Q. North Korea has recently launched missiles every day, increasing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
IOC sanctions on North Korea end at the end of this year, what are your views on additional sanctions?
"The IOC does not impose sanctions on athletes based on the actions of any government. We focus on the Olympic charter and try to protect athletes from political interference. This is an area of responsibility, not the IOC's."
Q. What if North Korea does not participate in the 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics?
"It remains to be seen which North Korean athletes win tickets to the Youth Olympic Finals in the preliminary rounds. If North Korea boycotts athletes who have won tickets for political reasons without participating in the Gangwon Winter Youth Olympics, the IOC will impose additional sanctions on the grounds of political interference. It's very likely to happen."
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Q. You warned boxing and weightlifting from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, what is your current position?
"Boxing is still a 'trouble maker' and weightlifting has so many examples of doping it's absolutely unacceptable. Weightlifting has made significant progress on 'anti-doping', but it's hard to find a real internal culture change. ' and how deeply ingrained the doping culture of leaders, doctors, and federations is. Boxing has serious problems with corruption and refereeing systems, so only the players are the victims. It is necessary to carefully examine whether the wrong culture and administration have really changed. There are no democratic elections and poor financial management. Boxing has a particularly serious problem of receiving sponsorship from a Russian conglomerate. A related issue is causing deep concern. The IOC plans to discuss this matter in depth at the Executive Committee meeting in December."
Q. Will Russian athletes be banned from participating in the Paris Olympics?
“Some governments are already making decisions about which countries will participate or not (in the Paris Olympic qualifiers). The authority and autonomy of the players must be respected, otherwise the international competition cannot function properly. The IOC will take the issue of Russian athletes very seriously. Governments should not judge sports from a political point of view. The form of participation in the Paris Olympics should be decided entirely by each international federation and ultimately by the hands of the IOC.”