IOC Recommends Banning Russian Athletes from International Competition
Source: Wall Street Journal
The International Olympic Committee on Monday recommended banning all Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competition following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week, in one of the sports world’s most drastic responses to the crisis.
Though the IOC’s announcement doesn’t in itself suspend the athletes, it gives cover to any global sports federation to take action. It represents an escalation of the IOC’s own stance of recent years, in which it allowed Russian athletes to compete in the Olympics under the name “Russian Olympic Committee”—despite the country’s ban from international competition for doping offenses.
“In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC [executive board] recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organizers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions,” the IOC said.
The organization noted that it preferred not to punish athletes for the actions of their governments, but that these were exceptional circumstances. Unless it acted, the IOC said, athletes from Russia and Belarus would continue participating in events even while “many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country.”
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/winter-olympics/ioc-recommends-banning-russian-athletes-from-international-competition/ar-AAUqdDn
= new reply since forum marked as read
from which the IOC had control of... Gee, I'm drawing a blank.
