The UK government will host a summit on February 10 to address the possible banning of Russian athletes from the upcoming Olympic Games (IOC), a possibility to which the International Olympic Committee has left the sale open in recent days, according to Sky News.
The IOC has said this week it is planning for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions in Asia and this year — excluding the Paris 2024 Olympics from the equation — to avoid what would be a discriminatory veto.
Thus, the aforementioned meeting – at the request of London and which could be attended by up to thirty countries – will also address the boycott raised this Friday by the Polish sports authorities, who have shown themselves to be radically against the participation of Russians and Belarusians in sports competitions.
Although the IOC proposal specifies that athletes from Russia and Belarus would participate under a neutral flag and without displaying national banners, Ukraine considers that it would be inadmissible. In fact, Kiev has even accused the sports body of being a «promoter of war».
European ministers will discuss possible admission of Russian athletes to competitions on February 10 * EU * UKRAINE * RUSSIA * ATHLETES * SUMMIT * Moscow, Feb 3 (Sputnik) – Sports ministers of European countries will meet on February 10 to discuss the situation regarding the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions, according to the president of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Vadim Gutzeit.
«The Minister of Poland and the person responsible for Sport in the UK are convening a summit of European ministers and governing bodies in charge of Sport in these countries for February 10 to discuss the non-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes,» Gutzeit told a press conference.
Earlier on Friday, Gutzeit stated that Ukraine does not want to see Russian and Belarusian athletes at international competitions until the conflict in the country ends with Kiev’s victory, and that, if athletes from these countries are admitted to competitions, Ukraine should boycott them.
Last January 25, the executive committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) advocated the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions as neutrals, while suggesting suspending athletes who support Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
In response, the advisor to the Ukrainian president’s office, Mikhail Podoliak, accused the organization, based in Lausanne (Switzerland), of having accepted bribes from Russia and propagandizing for violence. The IOC called these accusations defamatory.
In February 2022, the IOC recommended to international sports federations not to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in competitions due to hostilities in Ukraine.
Several international federations followed the recommendations, while others allowed the athletes to act as neutral athletes.(Sputnik)
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
