Paris Olympics: Boycott may render the Video games ‘pointless’ if Russian athletes compete, says Polish minister

CNN
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Permitting athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete on the Paris Olympics may result in a large-scale boycott and render the Video games “pointless,” Poland’s sports activities minister stated on Thursday.

The remarks come after Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia accused the Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) of advancing particular exemptions permitting Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete on the Video games.

In a joint assertion, sports activities minsters from the 4 nations stated such actions would allow sport “for use to legitimize and distract consideration from Russia’s conflict of aggression towards Ukraine.”

Final week, the IOC outlined a multi-step plan for Russian and Belarusian athletes to take part on the Paris Olympics and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, arguing that “no athlete must be prevented from competing simply due to their passport.”

Kamil Bortniczuk, Poland’s Minister of Sport and Tourism, instructed Reuters: “I’m satisfied {that a} assembly that’s deliberate for February 10 will attain a conclusion of over 30 or perhaps 40 sports activities ministers – together with these from the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and Japan – to decisively reject the concept to permit athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate within the Video games.

“Contemplating this, I don’t suppose we’ll face robust choices earlier than the Olympics and, if we have been to boycott the Video games, the coalition we can be part of can be broad sufficient to make holding the Video games pointless.”

Russian and Belarusian athletes are presently banned by many sporting federations following a earlier advice from the IOC.

Final week the IOC stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes would compete as impartial athletes in the event that they have been to take part on the Olympics.

The transfer has been counseled by the workplace of the excessive fee of Human Rights, which stated: “We urge the IOC to undertake a choice in that route and to go additional, making certain the non-discrimination of any athlete on the idea of their nationality.”

And on Thursday, White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t object to particular person athletes from Russia or Belarus competing on the Olympics, so long as it’s “completely clear” that they don’t seem to be representing their mom nations.

Nonetheless, the IOC has come underneath sturdy criticism from Ukrainian tennis participant and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina, in addition to former boxing champion Wladimir Klitschko, who gained a gold for Ukraine on the 1996 Olympics.

“We should keep on with banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, sending a robust message worldwide that we’re united within the sanctions imposed towards Russia and Belarus and that there are penalties for the heinous acts of their governments,” stated Svitolina.

This week, responding to feedback made by Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhaylo Podolyak, the IOC decried “defamatory statements” that it stated “can not function a foundation for any constructive dialogue.”

When CNN contacted the IOC relating to a possible boycott, it pointed in the direction of an announcement on its web site about solidarity with Ukraine and sanctions towards Russia and Belarus, which stated: “Threatening a boycott of the Olympic Video games goes towards the basics of the Olympic Motion and the ideas it stands for.

“A boycott is a violation of the Olympic Constitution, which obliges all NOCs to ‘take part within the Video games of the Olympiad by sending athletes.’ As historical past has proven, earlier boycotts didn’t obtain their political ends and served solely to punish the athletes of the boycotting NOCs.”

Within the questions and solutions assertion, the IOC stated the participation of Russian or Belarusian athletes at Paris 2024 “has not been mentioned but.”