MADRID, 31 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The president of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Alejandro Blanco, insisted on Tuesday that sport should be a “meeting point” in the war between Russia and Ukraine after the invasion, for which he pointed out that they do not win “nothing”. preventing the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in Paris 2024, since the Olympic movement “is above and has to be away from politics”.
“There have been several meetings of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) with 150 athlete representatives, the world committees and international summer and winter federations, and it was agreed to try to involve Russian and Belarusian athletes, under a neutral flag and who have not stood out in demonstrations in favor of the invasion,” said Blanco after receiving the Hispanic handball team for their bronze medal in the World Cup.
The leader believes that it is “a very delicate” and “hard” issue, since “you also have to put yourself in the shoes of what Ukraine is suffering” and “understand what Ukrainian political and sports representatives want.”
“But we are talking about Olympics, integration, we do not win anything if the Russians cannot participate, the Olympic movement is above, it has to be away from politics. We must find that meeting point through sport. Understanding that a situation It should never have happened,” Blanco reflected.
Last Wednesday, the IOC Executive Committee met to assess the continuity of the sanctions on Russia and Belarus and solidarity with Ukraine. Last December, the president of the IOC, Thomas Bach, already spoke of the importance of sport recovering its “unifying mission”.
Thus, despite the fact that this week the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, pointed out that Russian athletes cannot have a place in Paris 2024, the IOC Executive announced that it is studying this option for the great event of sport next year because ” no athlete should be prohibited from competing just because of their passport.”
The initiative of the IOC would be their participation as neutrals and “in no case” representing their country. In addition, the statement from the Olympic body points out that the athletes must have been faithful to the IOC peace mission and not have shown their support for the war in Ukraine.
“SPAIN AND MADRID DESERVE SOME GAMES”
On the other hand, Blanco also addressed the possibility of Madrid hosting the 2036 Games, an edition for which “soon” the process to choose a venue will open. “We must go hand in hand with the IOC, we lost the one in 2012, 2016 and 2020. We were the best voted in 2020, with a new model of Games, and in this new model Madrid is the most prepared city in the world to host them. No I would like that dream to never disappear, at the sporting and organizational level, Spain and Madrid deserve the Games,” he said.