The head of the IOC criticized the British authorities for the removal of the Russians from Wimbledon

MOSCOW, June 8 President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach on General Assembly of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) in Lausanne urged international federations to avoid the influence of governments on the decision to admit athletes from certain countries to international competitions. At the end of February, the IOC recommended that international sports federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions because of the situation in Ukraine.» We need governments to respect our role. If we give in, then we are lost. How can fair international competition be guaranteed if governments decide, in accordance with their political interests, who is allowed to them and who is not If you allow it, then today it is Russia and Belarus, and tomorrow it will be your country.There is no country in the world that any other ruler would love stvo», — said the head of the IOC during his speech, which was broadcast by the YouTube channel ASOIF. Bach pointed out that the federations must independently respond to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, otherwise they risk becoming a «political tool». The head of the IOC cited as an example the organizers of the Wimbledon tennis tournament, who, under pressure from the British government, removed Russians and Belarusians from participating in the tournament. «Look at our colleagues in tennis: in Paris, Russians could play as neutral athletes, while in London the local government says» «This is contrary to all the principles that we stand for. If we leave it to governments to decide, we will become a political tool and can no longer guarantee fair competition,» Bach added. At Roland Garros, which took place from May 22 to On June 5, Russian and Belarusian tennis players were allowed to play in «strict neutrality» mode.