At the end of the final meeting of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which this week set out a series of recommendations to the International Federations concerning Russian and Belarusian athletes, President Thomas Bach reiterated his refusal of any form of government interference.
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Lhe IOC will not allow itself to be intimidated, let alone dictate its timetable for an upcoming decision regarding the possible reintegration of Russian and Belarusian athletes in view of the Paris 2024 Summer Games.
If on this question, the institution of Lausanne (Switzerland) formulated – via its executive body – recommendations to International Federations, she is careful for the time being to reveal her strategy concerning the Olympic meeting of the year to come. Nevertheless, voices have already been raised against the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the next edition of the Games.
Also, while continuing the reflection initiated for more than four months now, the IOC refuses to see any government interference on the part of political authorities who would be in opposition to the recommendations issued by the institution on the sports scene.
Not long ago, President Thomas Bach had in this sense the opportunity to respond to the criticisms of the Ukrainian Head of State and his Minister of Sportsrecalling in passing the support granted by the IOC to Ukraine through a solidarity fund led by the former glory of athletics, Sergey Bubka.
This week, the boss of the Olympic institution went even further, openly castigating the attitude of Western governments.
Thus, at the end of the last day of the meeting of the Executive Board in Lausanne (Switzerland), Thursday March 30, Thomas Bach stated in particular:
It is deplorable to see that governments do not want to respect the will of the majority of the stakeholders of the Olympic Movement, nor the autonomy of sport.
It is deplorable that these governments do not address the issue of double standards.
We have not seen a single comment on their attitude towards the participation of athletes from the countries of the other 70 wars and armed conflicts around the world.
The President of the Republic of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, with the President of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine, Sergey Bubka, Sunday July 1, 2022 in Kyiv (Credits – National Olympic Committee of Ukraine)By denouncing in such a virulent manner – something rare for an IOC President – what could be akin to a certain hypocrisy of Western governments, Thomas Bach wanted to set the record straight.
By this statement – aimed without any doubt at the Ministers and other international leaders who were able to point the finger at the work of the IOC, or who tried to interfere in a roundabout way in the reflection in progress – Thomas Bach thus reaffirms that the IOC is and will remain master of its clocks regarding future decisions on the Russian and Belarusian question.
An announcement about the 2024 Olympics should also come ahead of the 140th IOC Session which will meet in October 2023 in Bombay (India).
In recent years, the Olympic institution has in any case not been spared an undeniable increase in political pressure, today on the Russian and Belarusian question, yesterday on the holding of the Beijing 2022 Winter Games and, shortly before, on the strategy to adopt around the health crisis of the Covid-19 and the postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Summer Games.
Faced with this galloping interference in Olympic affairs, the IOC intends to preserve its independence and best protect the other components of the Olympic Movement. Whether or not it is appreciated by governments.
With his remarked intervention, Thomas Bach also implicitly reaffirms that the Olympic Games are the exclusive property of the IOC and that, in this sense, it is up to the latter to determine the rules. This can also be interpreted as a form of warning vis-à-vis the authorities of the organizing countries or candidates for the organization of the Games which, while praising the exceptional showcase of the event, would like to significantly twist the arm of the ‘institution.
