In an interview with Le Monde, “Israel is different from Russia and does not sanction its participation.” A line is drawn on the possibility of sanctions against Israeli athletes involved in air strikes on the Gaza Strip.
President Thomas Bach is speaking at the IOC Executive Committee held in Lausanne, Switzerland on the 19th (local time).
International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said he hoped the war in Ukraine and the Gaza Strip would stop during the Olympics, but emphasized, “The IOC must maintain political neutrality.”
In an interview with French daily Le Monde published on the 19th (local time), Chairman Bach said, “We definitely want a ceasefire, but it must be realistic.”
“Olympic sports are not in a position to make decisions about war or peace,” he said. “I’ve emphasized this a million times: we are not a political organization. We must stay true to our values and remain politically neutral in order to survive.” “I want to,” he said.
As he said, the Olympic Charter prohibits the political use of sports for the purpose of maintaining human peace and contributing to humanity.
Previously, the United Nations adopted a resolution for a ceasefire during the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games in November last year.At the time, Russia’s position was that it could not accept this, and President Vladimir Putin recently said, “We are ready for dialogue, but we must consider Russia’s interests on the front line.”
Regarding the exclusion of Russian athletes from the Olympics, Chairman Bach said, “A boycott is never a good thing.”
“We are intransigent in sanctions against those who violate the Olympic Charter, but we are equally intransigent in protecting those who do not violate the Charter,” he said.
He added, “Athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their own government. If they support such government actions, they will be sanctioned, but if they do not, they should have the same rights as everyone else.”
The IOC allowed athletes from Russia, which invaded Ukraine in December last year, and Belarus, a country that assisted the invasion, to participate in the Olympics only as individual neutrals.
Chairman Bach said that whether athletes from these two countries will participate in the Olympic opening ceremony will be discussed at the IOC Executive Committee meeting on the 19th and 20th.
In response to some claims that Israeli athletes attacking the Gaza Strip should also participate as neutral, Chairman Bach explained, “Unlike the Russian Olympic Committee, the Israeli Olympic Committee did not violate the Olympic Charter.”
“The Russian Olympic Committee says that athletes from the Luhansk or Donetsk regions of Ukraine occupied by the Russian government must also be Russian athletes,” he said. “This is a clear violation of the Olympic Charter.”
He added, “Furthermore, in the Olympic world, the Israeli Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Olympic Committee have coexisted for the past 30 years, just like the ‘two-state solution’ called in political circles,” adding, “Neither side has ever requested sanctions against the other.”
Chairman Bach said, “The situation is tragic and critical, but both teams have expressed their desire to participate in the Paris Olympics,” and emphasized, “Sports should be a source of peace and reconciliation.” 성인웹툰