MADRID, 15 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, pointed out on Tuesday that the fundamental objective of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is to bring together the entire world in a “peaceful” and “without any discrimination” competition, at the same time that he showed his support to members of the Ukrainian Olympic community.
“We can only unite the whole world if athletes from all National Olympic Committees can participate in the Olympic Games. Only then will the Games become a celebration of hope and resilience. This is what they are about, bringing the whole world together in a peaceful competition and without any discrimination”, he indicated in his speech addressed to the G20 leaders at the Bali Summit (Indonesia) facilitated by the IOC.
In this sense, the president pointed out that the war in Ukraine has affected the Olympic movement in a “unique” way. “We have condemned and sanctioned the Russian government in an unprecedented manner for this flagrant violation of the Olympic Charter,” he said.
“We are supporting Ukrainian athletes and members of the Olympic community everywhere with all our solidarity. But, unlike other wars and conflicts, some governments have started to decide which athletes can participate in international sports competitions and which ones cannot.” express.
In addition, he added that if the Olympics become one more tool to achieve political objectives, international sport “will collapse.” “Olympic sport needs the participation of all athletes who accept the rules, even and especially if their countries are in confrontation or at war,” he explained.
Finally, the president reiterated the “unifying mission” of the IOC in its commitment to be “politically neutral.” “To enable future Olympic hosts to welcome the best athletes from around the world, regardless of political conflicts, I ask you, the world leaders, to support this political neutrality. Let us not abandon this precious unifying mission of the Olympic Games and Paralympics at a time when the world needs more solidarity and peace,” he concluded.