Strongly criticized by the Ukrainian authorities, since January 25, for having paved the way for a return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the bosom of world sport, Thomas Bach had been rather taciturn. The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), however, had little taste for the many outbursts of kyiv – which notably accused the body of being “a promoter of war”. He made this known in a letter addressed to the head of the national Olympic committee and Ukrainian sports minister, Vadym Gutzeit. Four pages that the Reuters news agency was able to consult and which it echoed, Thursday, February 9.
In his missive, the German begins by testifying to the “unanimous support of the Olympic movement for Ukrainian athletes” and of “the unwavering commitment to solidarity with the Ukrainian Olympic community”. Since the invasion of the country by Kremlin troops on February 24, 2022, more than 230 athletes and coaches have been killed, and nearly 340 sports facilities damaged or destroyed, according to figures from the Ukrainian sports ministry.
Then, Thomas Bach makes a first clarification: to say that authorizing the reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes, under conditions, into international competitions amounts to supporting the war is “defamatory”writes the boss of the IOC
The prospect of seeing representatives of these two countries compete, even under a neutral banner, at the Paris Olympics (July 26-August 11, 2024) is inconceivable for Kyiv. For weeks, Ukrainian leaders have been seeking support to ensure their exclusion, going so far as to raise the possibility of boycotting the meeting. Such a measure would go against the Olympic Charter and would only harm Ukrainian athletes, replies Thomas Bach, who calls on them not to follow this path.
The former fencing champion, who has become a lawyer, then returns to the reason why the IOC seems to be backpedaling, a year after having recommended to international federations the banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes: this sanction goes against a United Nations resolution against discrimination in Olympic events. A text adopted by consensus by all the Member States, “including the Ukrainian government”he points out.
“No concrete discussions yet”
Lastly, stressing that the possible participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes “has not even been the subject of concrete discussions yet”Thomas Bach denounces the communication strategy of the Ukrainians. ” [Votre lettre] addressed to your colleagues from national Olympic committees, international federations, IOC members and future host countries of the Olympic Games, to lobby in order to publicly influence their decision-making, was perceived by the vast majority of them as being, to say the least, extremely regrettable. »
And to add: “Since you have chosen to send your correspondence to all NOCs, IFs and beyond, you will understand that we will also copy this letter to the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, so that they have an overview. »
The IOC President concludes by launching: “In the Olympic spirit of peace and solidarity, which was so evident in all our consultation calls, let us work together for the good of Ukrainian athletes. »
At the initiative of the United Kingdom, a meeting of European sports ministers is scheduled for Friday February 10 to discuss the possible reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes into international competitions and, if necessary, the response to be provided. The Lithuanian, Latvian and Polish Olympic committees have already expressed their opposition to any return, as have Estonia and Denmark. The United States, on the other hand, supported the IOC’s proposal.
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On the side of the host country of the next Games, we procrastinate. President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, on several occasions, that the Russians be excluded from the competition. A subject that the two men discussed on February 8 during a dinner at the Elysée.
“We talked about it, I also explained how things stood”, said Emmanuel Macron, Thursday, on his arrival in Brussels for a European summit. The Head of State will personally decide “in the summer”, ” depending on the circumstances, and depending on what is happening on the ground”.