IOC seeking return of Belarusian, Russian athletes to international competitions

May 10, BPN. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is working to help Belarusian and Russian athletes return to international sports events, IOC President Thomas Bach told China’s Xinhua.

The IOC is closely cooperating with the international federations responsible for running their competitions, he said.

Athletes from Russia and Belarus must take part in a neutral status to “really unify the whole world” at the Olympic Games in Paris, Bach noted.

Sports organizations should be deciding on athletes’ participation in the Olympics rather than separate governments, the official added. Governments should understand that “any kind of boycott would only punish their own athletes and would deprive their people to be proud of their athletes of their Olympic performances,” Bach stressed.

After Russia’s new assault on Ukraine in late February 2022, the IOC called on the international sports federations not to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete. That call was immediately answered on a mass scale and resulted in almost complete isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes.

In late March 2023, the IOC said that Belarusian and Russian athletes might be admitted to international competitions under a neutral flag on condition that they are not actively involved in supporting military operations and are not linked to the military.

The IOC needs time to “see how these recommendations are accepted and how they are respected,” Bach said on May 7.