The closer the Olympic Games in Paris and the international competitions at which the selection for the main start of the quadrennial will be carried out, the more inadequate the situation with the admission of Russians and Belarusians to them looks. Now even the IOC itself is most likely aware that last year they made a mistake in recommending the suspension of athletes. Thus, the committee actually opened a Pandora's box and allowed representatives of a number of countries to exert pressure on international federations, which at first did not want to resort to radical measures.
The most striking example of this is the play-offs at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Initially, UEFA and FIFA took a pause and ignored the recommendations of the IOC for a long time. But the Russian team was not lucky: by lot, the Polish team got the opponents. The country staged a real hysteria about the upcoming meeting, and the players promised to boycott the selection for the World Cup if the international federation does not remove the wards of Valery Karpin. Then Sweden and the Czech Republic were also involved in political games. As a result, both football organizations surrendered under public pressure.
Now the IOC is faced with the fact that, having lost control over the situation, it cannot return it back. The loss of influence on what is happening is evidenced, in particular, by the statement of the Minister of Sports of Poland Kamil Bortnichuk. On the air of the radio station RMF FM, he openly stated that he would continue to blackmail the committee until he got his way.
"The issue of boycott should always be relevant in the context of our contacts with the IOC. Because the IOC is afraid of it," the official said.
At the same time, according to the Olympic champion in speed skating and State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova, in this way the minister violates the rights of his own athletes.
"I am interested in how the Polish participants of the Olympics themselves feel about this issue. For example, if our Belarusians and Belarusians still go to the tournament. Will they deprive their athletes of the Games of spite of their enemies? It's more like an anecdote: "I cheated on the conductor today, paid and didn't go." It looks weird enough. Moreover, Poland is not a party to the conflict at all. They try to manipulate their athletes to blackmail the IOC, in order to be on the agenda, make athletes hostages. It's just shaking the air out of the blue. It is always very convenient to talk, we will see what will happen in practice, "Zhurova said in a comment to RT.
What does Bortnichuk want to achieve from the IOC? At the moment , the revision of the recommendations voiced recently on the admission of Russians and Belarusians. The official demands that they sign a paper in which they would openly oppose the SVO. And it is these athletes that the minister is ready to invite to the European Games, which will be held in Krakow from June 21 to July 2.
"We will invite them. Those who fulfill the condition. As part of not supporting hostilities, let them sign a statement that they oppose war crimes. If a Russian athlete signs such a statement, I cordially invite him to Poland and European sports. We will include in this statement the name of Vladimir Putin, we will include the wording "war crimes," Bortnichuk said.
According to Zhurova, such conditions violate human rights, but their nomination was expected from unfriendly countries.
"Polish politicians are determined to put pressure on Russian and Belarusian athletes to the end. Apparently, they found the most effective way – to force Russians to answer before the law. Therefore, a natural question arises here, is it necessary to participate in these European Games, where they are forced to violate the law? This is a violation of human rights, "said the interlocutor of RT.
The problem is that Bortnichuk is going to demand the signing of such a statement from all domestic athletes who want to compete in competitions in Poland. In particular, at the stage of the World Cup in fencing.
Recall that the FEI became the first international federation, which even before the latest recommendations of the IOC allowed Russians and Belarusians to start in a neutral status, without any additional restrictions. This led to several countries cancelling tournaments. Denmark joined Finland and Germany on Thursday, March 30.
"We came to the conclusion that, unfortunately, we are not able to hold competitions. We cannot do this in the current conditions, when Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to participate," Said Jan Sylvest Jensen, Chairman of the Danish Fencing Federation, in an interview with NTB.
In Poland, they also did not want to hold a World Cup stage in Poznan from April 21 to April 23, however, it seems that they came up with a more sophisticated way to get rid of unwanted athletes. As Bortnichuk noted, the national federation has already sent the FEI a corresponding letter with a proposal to create an additional condition for admission.
Moreover, the latest steps of the official are open interference of politics in the work of sports organizations, and it should be immediately stopped. But in Poland, sanctions are not afraid, because they have never happened yet. In addition, such hysteria, although not always, but gives its fruits. Although the head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, convinces everyone that such actions of the authorities of individual countries have made the position of the committee members even more united.
"Governments cannot decide which countries' citizens should take part in competitions. It will be the end of world sport as we know it. IOC members are very concerned about the politicization of sport and the mood of governments that want to seize the right to organize tournaments in their countries and even in other countries," Bach said at a press conference on Thursday. It is regrettable that all governments that criticize the recommendations do not take into account double standards. We do not have any sanctions against other countries that are waging 70 current conflicts in the world. It is even more regrettable that they do not pay attention to the statements of the UN rapporteurs in the field of human rights."
It remains to be hoped that the FEI will not blackmail the Poles, and other federations will listen to the voice of reason, and not to the recommendations of the IOC and the provocative proposals of officials.