IOC President Thomas Bach has defended the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Olympic Games.
The International Olympic Committee recently decided that individual athletes from both countries are entitled to compete in Paris under certain conditions, despite the war against Ukraine. Ukraine sharply attacked the decision, and there was also criticism from Russia
In an interview with “Welt am Sonntag”, Bach emphasized that he did not see how the decision would influence the course of the war in Moscow’s favor. The 1976 Olympic fencing champion pointed out that the starters had to compete without a flag, without national identification and without an anthem and were not allowed to belong to the military or security authorities. “This will once again demonstrate the sanctioning of this government to the entire world,” said Bach. So far, six athletes with Russian passports have qualified for the Olympics.
“Found a good middle ground”
He is not afraid of a boycott of the games by Ukraine. “Why should Ukraine punish its own athletes for the Russian army’s invasion of Ukraine and take away their dream of the Olympics?” asked Bach. “You are not a war supporter if you do not meet every one of Ukraine’s demands, especially since we have been supporting the Ukrainian athletes with unprecedented solidarity since the beginning of the war.”
From the reactions, Bach concludes that neither side is satisfied. “That means we have obviously found a good middle ground,” explained the IOC President, who will soon be 70 years old.
A possible relocation of the 2026 Olympic competitions in bobsleigh, luge and skeleton from Italy to Germany is out of the question if Russian participants are not allowed to enter the country. “That’s how it is,” said Bach. He asked Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) about these questions last year at the G20 summit in Indonesia. “Unfortunately the thread of conversation has broken since then,” said Bach. Despite the current lack of its own track, the competitions for the games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo should take place in Italy, Sports Minister Andrea Abodi recently emphasized.
