DOSB takes a different approach
Faeser doesn’t like the return of Russian athletes
1/26/2023 6:03 p.m
The IOC wants to enable Russian athletes to return to sport, but Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser finds this path “completely wrong”. The sport must position itself crystal clear. The DOSB wants to establish “strict requirements”.
Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser is against the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions. “The fact that the IOC is apparently opening the door again for Russian athletes and wants to enable them to take part in the Olympic Games is completely the wrong way,” said the SPD politician to the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”: “Sport should, in its condemnation of the brutal war that Putin is waging against the Ukrainian civilian population.”
The leadership of the International Olympic Committee had previously decided to prepare opportunities for athletes from the two countries to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics. The IOC executive decided on Wednesday that the international sports federations should allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as “neutral athletes” where they can qualify for next summer’s games. No athlete should be excluded from the competition because of their nationality, it said.
“Major sporting events don’t take place in a vacuum,” said Faeser. “No one should ignore this terrible war in the middle of Europe or send mixed signals. The international sports federations remain responsible for positioning themselves clearly.” The Ukrainian athletes must have the full solidarity and support of the international sports community: “This is only possible if Russia is excluded.”
DOSB: Return under “strict conditions”
The German Olympic Sports Confederation can meanwhile imagine Russian and Belarusian athletes participating in international competitions “only under strict conditions”. For participation in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the condition for the DOSB would be that the athletes from Russia and Belarus would have to compete as neutral athletes without flags, colors, national symbols and anthems, according to the statement by the umbrella organization. Athletes who fought in the war or openly supported the war would have to remain sanctioned.
In addition, the sanctions against the two states and governments must be strictly maintained. According to the DOSB, a basic requirement would be a functioning and reliable anti-doping system under the supervision of WADA and a fair qualification for the Olympics. “The DOSB will continue to contribute to the international discussion with the above conditions,” he said. “Above all, to protect the interests of the national athletes, whose focus is on reliable and fair qualification for the Olympic Games.”