Last week, the IOC held consultation talks with the IOC members, the International Federations, the National Olympic Committees and athlete representatives from around the world. The main topic was Russia’s warfare against Ukraine. A statement shared by the committee afterwards has been accessed by news. The following is stated in the document that news has read: “When it comes to individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports, a large majority of the participants in each consultation conversation expressed the following, among other things: No athlete should be denied access to competition on the basis of a passport. Therefore, a way back for athletes from these countries under strict conditions should be explored. POMPOUS: Saltvedt thinks it is pompous and naive that sport should be a kind of peacemaker. Photo: Martin Leigland / news – What does sport really think they are? Sport at its best should of course be an arena far removed from political and strategic considerations, but everyone involved knows that is not the reality, responds news’s sports commentator Jan Petter Saltvedt. – In a war that is being escalated and where the Russians show no initiative to curb the brutality, sport must be a kind of peacemaker in a way that is a mixture of pompous and naive, thunders Saltvedt. Two requirements Furthermore, the IOC writes that the athletes in question will compete as “neutral athletes” and cannot in any way represent their country or any other organizations in their home country. Apart from that, the IOC sets two requirements for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be allowed to return to international competitions: Only those who have not shown support for the war in Ukraine and thus violated the IOC’s peace mission will be allowed to participate. The athletes must fulfill WADA’s anti-doping regulations and follow the anti-doping regime. All returning athletes must go through individual checks. “If any athletes do not respect these criteria, the relevant international federation or the organizer shall immediately remove them from the competition and suspend them until the IOC takes further measures and sanctions”, writes the Olympic Committee. The Norwegian Sports Confederation tells news that Norway’s position on Russian and Belarusian participation has not changed. – In the current situation, it is unacceptable to open up Russian and Belarusian sports participation internationally, says sports president Berit Kjøll to news. She repeated Norway’s position in the meeting with the IOC. – Most of those who took the floor expressed that they do not want an athlete’s nationality to determine whether they will be allowed to participate in international sports, but given that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes is opened up, this must happen under strict conditions of neutrality, says Kjøll. WIN: Saltvedt believes this is a propaganda victory for Putin, who loves to pay tribute to his sporting heroes. Photo: SERGEI GUNEYEV / AFP – Victory for Putin – One can only imagine what kind of victory this is for Putin for propaganda purposes to be able to say that the world finally came to its senses, clearly the Russians should be allowed to compete, come back with medals and celebrated at the Luzhniki stadium, speculates Saltvedt. – It is incredibly sad and it is necessarily a decision to some extent guided by the IOC, which has pure cynical market considerations as the drivers in that context here. They want an Olympics in Paris that will be bigger than ever and generate more money than ever. It doesn’t do that without the Russians being involved, the commentator continues. He asks: – What has changed in a positive direction from the time the IOC came to the opposite decision until now? How many extra have died around poor countries in the world because of this energy and food crisis this war has caused? – This is not just a war with two parties, this is a war that has had global consequences and the athletes and the IOC must deal with that, Saltvedt believes. – Useful idiots He is disappointed that the “vast majority” of the athlete representatives welcome the Russians and Belarusians back. – The fact that the performers allow themselves to be brainwashed into accepting Bach’s story here makes them useful idiots for the Kremlin, unfortunately, comments Saltvedt. He thinks of the Ukrainian athletes who he believes are being let down by their own colleagues. – They have been very clear throughout that Russian and Belarusian athletes will not return. What do you do with a Ukrainian team that does not want to compete against a Russian team in the Olympics? They must then be banned based on Thomas Bach’s (IOC president) logic. Then they must be punished for engaging in political markings, because that is not done within the IOC, concludes Saltvedt. The head of Norway’s Athletes’ Committee, Astrid Uhrenholdt Jacobsen, has not had time to respond to news’s inquiry on Wednesday evening.
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– Useful idiots for the Kremlin – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
