International Olympic Committee (IOC) Head Thomas Bach met with French President Emmanuel Macron. Officials discussed the concept of admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
What happened at the Elysee Palace Bach and Macron met not just anywhere, but at the Elysee Palace in Paris. That is, it can be argued that the event was official. This is not just a statement by Bach and Macron somewhere in between. The head of the IOC and the President of France held a special meeting at which one of the main issues was the participation of Russia and Belarus in the 2024 Summer Games.
In Paris, Bach and Macron confirmed that France will support the decision of the IOC on the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics, which will be announced in the near future. Recall that the International Olympic Committee previously allowed Russians and Belarusians to participate in international competitions in a neutral status, but with a number of restrictions, including the lack of communication with law enforcement agencies. Also, national teams in all sports are not allowed to participate in tournaments.
There was a lot of controversy regarding these recommendations, which continues to this day. Someone thinks that in such conditions it is impossible to go to the Olympics, someone is sure that it is necessary to perform even in such a status in order to save the careers of athletes, for many of whom this may be the only chance for a Games medal. In any case, there are already precedents for the participation of Russians, in the same judo, taekwondo, boxing. Not to mention tennis, where our people and Belarusians feel at ease from the moment the events in Ukraine began. Probably, the same format is being discussed at the Olympic Games.
Did Bach understand exactly what he was talking about? But Bach would not be Bach if he did not say something contradictory. He expressed gratitude to Macron after his statement at the G7 summit («Group of Seven» is an informal international club that unites the UK, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, Japan and the United States) about the autonomy of sports and the admission of Russians and Belarusians to the Olympics. The problem is that at that summit, the members of the organization had a somewhat different meaning.
“Respecting the autonomy of sports organizations, at the same time we stand for fair sports competition and are ready to ensure that Russian and Belarusian athletes are not represented at international competitions in as representatives of their states,» the message says.
The phrase about respect for the autonomy of sports organizations is pure hypocrisy. And it is not too clear what they meant by the phrase «should not be represented as representatives of their states.» If we are talking about the flag and the anthem, then yes, this is in line with the recommendations of the IOC. And if in general about the participation of Russia and Belarus, questions arise.
Actually, another point is of interest. At what point did this organization even begin to influence the IOC. After all, the International Olympic Committee should in no way depend on politicians and should make decisions independently. After all, it was Bach and company who chose Paris as the venue for the 2024 Olympics, and not Macron, Biden and others.
It's even funnier that Bach later «hotly welcomed» the G7 statement, apparently without understanding the gist of the «group of seven» statement. And he repeated the mantra during a meeting with Macron. Nevertheless, the green light was given at the Elysee Palace for the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics in Paris, and I would like to believe that this time Bach understood what was at stake.