28.04.2023, Moscow.
Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to participate in international competitions without any conditions, the official statement of the Athletes’ Commission of the Russian Olympic Committee reads, published on April 28 on its official website.
The commission said it had discussed in the Russian sports community the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) recommendations on the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international competitions, which stated that they could be admitted only in neutral status and with a ban on the participation of athletes who supported the special operation and are associated with defense and security agencies.
“We consider the proposed criteria for admission to competitions as excessive, unreasonable and discriminatory: by nationality and passport, by discipline and sport, as well as by affiliation with a particular structure,” the Athletes’ Commission of the Russian Olympic Committee said.
The IOC conditions, according to the commission, grossly violate not only the principles of the Olympic Games but also universal moral norms and international law.
The commission called on the IOC and the international community to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes without any conditions. “We are convinced that the admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions should be made only on the basis of equality with all other participants of the Olympic movement, without additional conditions, prescriptions, restrictions and criteria that destroy the Olympic movement and devalue the letter and spirit of the Olympic Charter,” the Commission concluded.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
