MOSCOW, Oct 2, Oleg Bogatov. The Olympic Charter forbids discrimination against athletes because of for their political views, the statement of the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach on Russian athletes grossly violates the provisions of this fundamental document, said the President of the Russian Weightlifting Federation Maxim Agapitov. Previously, Bach, in an interview with the Italian edition of Corriere della Sera, said that Russian athletes who do not support a special operation in Ukraine, it is necessary to allow participation in international competitions in a neutral status. «The Olympic Charter unequivocally speaks of the prohibition of discrimination based on political views,» Agapitov said, commenting on Bach's words. «Therefore, even asking any questions of this kind to any athletes from any countries, and even more so to set this as a condition for participation in competitions is a gross violation of the charter. thinks about a particular political issue. I have always had a credo of absolutely equal attitude towards all athletes and even more widely — to all people, regardless of their political preferences. «The IOC previously recommended that international sports federations remove athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in international competitions due to a special operation in Ukraine. Most sports organizations have made the appropriate decisions. «The Olympic Games were just conceived as a way to reconcile the warring parties. Let athletes fight in fair competition, not soldiers on the battlefield,» the head of the federation added.
