Olympic champion in speed skating, State Duma deputy Svetlana Zhurova, spoke about the statements made by International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach after the IOC Executive Committee meeting. Bach said that the issue of the participation of the 2024 Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics was not discussed in the executive committee, and that the IOC reserves the right to resolve this issue at the appropriate time. Zhurova believes that some Russian athletes may have a chance to participate in the Games, the question is under what conditions.
“He said the IOC Executive Committee was not ready to think this time. Perhaps because he was speaking at a political forum and voicing possible positions, it was surprising that they began to discuss this by putting pressure on him. And probably everyone is starting to resent a little now, waiting for him to say something like that. But look, the board of directors did not put it on its agenda. Bach said – until the summer.
The situation is made worse by the fact that it will be extremely difficult for our team sports to qualify. But the possibility remains for individual species. Everything depends on conditions. Then the choice will be ours – whether to accept the flagless performance conditions, when athletes are divided into those who support the CBO and those who do not. It is also a question whether the athletes will be ready to accept this “wonderful” offer, Zhurova told socialbites.ca.
Recall that at the end of February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a call to international sports federations and recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes not be allowed to participate in any competitions. After that, various international sports organizations began to exclude the Russians from the competition. According to IOC President Thomas Bach, the suspension period is still open.
On January 25, 2023, the IOC announced that it was considering the possibility of allowing Russian athletes who did not support the conduct of a special operation on the territory of Ukraine to participate in international competitions in a neutral status. In addition, Western countries demanded clarification to determine the neutral status for the Russians. The definitive list of necessary requirements has not yet been established and disclosed.
On March 23, Bach made another statement regarding the Russian participation in the 2024 Olympic Games. He believes that such an opportunity should be given to them and urged not to treat athletes from Russia as carriers of collective guilt.
Earlier, Czech hockey player Dominik Hasek commented on Bach’s words about Russian athletes. judicial The IOC president is either corrupt or insane.