International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach evaluated the statements of the leaders of the G7 countries regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions. Earlier, the leaders of the G7 countries spoke in favor of allowing Russians and Belarusians to participate in international competitions, but not in the status of representatives of their countries. Words by Thomas Bach press office IOC.
“The IOC welcomes the G7’s support for the autonomy of sport and the IOC’s recommendation that athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports participate only as individual, neutral athletes. He said he came on time.
The summit of the countries (USA, UK, Japan, Germany, Italy, France and Canada) is held in Japan on 19-21 May.
Recall that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) advised international federations at the end of February 2022 to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions. Subsequently, international competitions planned to be held in Russia were canceled or postponed.
At a meeting of the IOC executive committee on March 28, it was recommended that the Russians be allowed a neutral status if the athletes did not actively support the hostilities. Athletes representing law enforcement and armed forces will not be allowed to compete.
Cross-country skiing former Olympic champion Veronika Stepanova commented The news that the leaders of the G7 are opposed to the recognition of Russian athletes as representatives of the country.