Contrary to skeptics: IOC head Bach thanked international federations for allowing Russians to participate in tournaments

President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach praised the work of sports federations, which followed the organization's recommendations on the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to competitions. As you know, at the end of March, the IOC called for the return of representatives of both countries to the world stage in a neutral status. At the same time, it was recommended not to allow teams to participate in team sports, as well as athletes associated with the armed forces and publicly expressing support for the NWO.

Since then, a number of international federations have followed this call. In particular, judoists, taekwondo athletes, fencers, shooters, rowers, cyclists (except for team sports), golfers, pentathletes and wrestlers were allowed to compete in neutral status. And boxers even got the opportunity to enter the ring under their flags and anthems.

Speaking at the General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Bach said that the autonomy of the sport is currently under threat, and individual countries are seeking to divide the global sports movement. In this regard, he called on all IOC member organizations to unity, which he called the fundamental value of world sport.

"I want to thank the ASOIF board for its very clear statement, which emphasizes the need for the separation of sport and politics," the functionary stressed.

According to him, world sport is going through a difficult challenge, but the decisions of a number of organizations to admit athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in accordance with the March recommendations indicate that this problem is solvable.

"This difficult situation causes some kind of problem when it comes to complying with guidelines and strict conditions, but many of you have proven that it is feasible. Many federations have held international sports competitions and even world championships, following the recommendations, and these tournaments were successful. This was done despite the fact that there are many, if I may say so, skeptics who seek to convince people that this approach will not work, "said Bach.

The head of the IOC also stressed that the overwhelming majority of representatives of the international community understands all the nuances of the current situation and supports a compromise approach, including the neutral status of athletes. In particular, he mentioned the recent statement by the leaders of the Group of Seven about the need to ensure fair competition at the Games in Paris. As you know, in Russia this message was met without approval because of its non-sporting component, which stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not act in any way as representatives of their states.

"Everyone knows that there are no easy solutions to such extremely complex political problems, only populists pretend that they have easy answers to the most difficult questions in the world," Bach said.

At the same time, the IOC has not yet made any decision on the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. As the president of ASOIF, Francesco Ricci Beatti, admitted, sports officials are hoping for some progress regarding the actual conflict in Ukraine.

"We hope that over the next months or a certain period of time, the situation will change, and the IOC will be in a better position to make a final decision on the 2024 Olympics," the functionary said.

Despite all the restrictions imposed on Russian sports since the start of the NWO, some Western functionaries still consider them insufficient. And the chairman of the Finnish Olympic Committee, Jan Vapaavuori, accused the IOC of being pro-Russian.

"The fact that such tough measures have been taken against Russia and Belarus is partly the result of pressure from individual countries, national Olympic committees, sports federations and European ministers to achieve a tougher line. In general, I can say that throughout the conflict, the IOC as an organization and its leadership in Lausanne, for some unknown reason, take a pro-Russian position," the Finnish politician said.

He stressed that, unlike some other countries, Finland strongly opposes the admission of both teams to the next Games.

"I remain optimistic in my hope that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not be allowed to participate in the Olympics in Paris," Vapaavuori stressed.

This statement in Russia was perceived with bewilderment and even irony. Thus, State Duma deputy Dmitry Svishchev advised the head of the NOC of Finland to engage in the development of domestic sports instead of such statements.

"It's amazing to hear nonsense from a sports leader who heads the Finnish Olympic Committee, who is obliged to develop sports and not think about politics < ... > His position is unacceptable in modern conditions. This can be regarded as an attempt to put pressure on the IOC," the parliamentarian said.