President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach delivered a special address to the participants of the G20 summit, which is taking place these days in Bali.
The leitmotif of his speech was the unifying role of sport in the world, especially in times of any international conflicts.
The IOC should be politically neutral, and in times of discord, unite the world, and not exacerbate divisions, the functionary stressed.
But this mission can only be fulfilled if athletes from all 206 countries that make up the organization take part in the Olympic Games.
At the moment, due to a special operation in Ukraine, Russian athletes have been suspended from most international competitions, including those that serve as qualifiers for the next Games in Paris.
“But unlike a great many other wars and conflicts on our planet, this time some states began to decide which athletes will be allowed to participate in international sports competitions and which will not.
They did and do it solely for political reasons,” admitted the head of the IOC.
Sports cannot be allowed to become just another tool for achieving political goals, otherwise it will simply fall apart, Bach said.
According to him, the essence of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is that all countries come together to participate in peaceful competitions without any discrimination.
“It is necessary that all athletes who comply with the rules take part in the Games, including - and even especially - if their countries are in a state of confrontation or war.
Competition only between like-minded states cannot be considered a convincing symbol of peace,” the former fencer emphasized.
At the end of his speech, Bach called on the G20 leaders to include a statement on the political neutrality of sport in the final resolution of the summit so that the hosts of future Olympics could host athletes from all over the world, regardless of any conflicts.
At first glance, this high-profile performance may serve as a sign of future changes in attitude towards Russian athletes and their performances on the international arena.
However, most domestic experts doubted that the words would translate into real actions and deeds.
Three-time Olympic figure skating champion Irina Rodnina said that it makes no sense to somehow evaluate Bach's speech and look for positive signs in it.
“He has already said so much that there is no more trust in his words, he is an absolute opportunist,” Match TV quoted the State Duma deputy as saying.
And the famous coach Tatyana Tarasova, in turn, called Bach's behavior populism.
“Who believes him at all?
I don’t want to comment on his statements in any way, because they are empty, ”the specialist emphasized.
Did not change his mind about the prospects of Russian sports and TV presenter Dmitry Guberniev.
He repeatedly expressed the point of view that domestic athletes should not hope to participate in the next Games.
“We don’t have to expect anything good in the near future - the suspension will be long.
Bach, of course, is rushing about, one way or another, he needs to save face, and he is trying to make some statements.
Well, he tries and tries.
I see no way out of this situation.
Everything will be bad in terms of the removal of our athletes.
We will miss at least two Olympics, ”Guberniev emphasized again.
The head of the All-Russian Ski Federation Elena Vyalbe took the message of the IOC more optimistically.
In her opinion, Bach said the right and fair words: sport has always been and should remain a tool for uniting countries and peoples.
“I can’t believe my ears or my eyes that Bach has finally regained his sight!
A month ago, his opinion was completely different.
I really want to believe that now he is saying what he really thinks, and not because he calculated the losses.
Even more likely, he didn’t count, but international federations, because many of them suffer losses from the removal of Russia, people lose interest when there is no competition, ”the three-time Olympic champion emphasized.
However, according to Dmitry Svishchev, in his appeal to world leaders, the IOC President actually admitted that he was under their political influence and was not independent in making any decisions.
The State Duma deputy also noted that, in fact, Bach's statement is correct, but it requires reinforcement in the form of lifting sanctions against Russian athletes.
“Bach must gain strength and will, prove that the IOC is an independent organization that has nothing to do with politics, and allow our athletes to participate in all competitions without restriction.
It’s time for him to stop putting pressure on international sports organizations, ”Match TV quotes Svishchev.