– This is not about politics. It’s strategy. War is strategy, says Valerij Borzov to news. The Ukrainian IOC member looks sternly at the journalists as he speaks. He reacts strongly to the fact that Russian and Belarusian athletes may end up on the same starting line as his own countrymen during the summer Olympics in Paris in nine months. – The position of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee is that we are not satisfied with Russian and Belarusian athletes taking part. It is about them supporting the war in Ukraine. – Even if they are neutral? – Yes. – Why don’t you want these athletes with you? – Because they have not taken a clear position that they are against the war in Ukraine. If you support a war, it is against the rules of the IOC. Sport is about peace, not war, he says to news. Want to consider refusal to compete The IOC has adopted some guidelines for Russian and Belarusian athletes to be allowed to participate in sports. They may only participate as so-called neutral athletes, i.e. not representing their home country. UKRAINIANS: Former pole vaulters, Sergej Bubka (left), and Valerij Borzov at an IOC meeting in 2016. Both are still IOC members, but Sergej Bubka did not wish to be interviewed by news during the IOC session in Mumbai. Photo: Martti Kainulainen / NTB Last week the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee. The reason was that Russia had recognized Olympic committees in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya as part of the Russian Olympic Committee. The Ukrainian regions were annexed by Russia last autumn. Nevertheless, the IOC keeps the Olympic door open for athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports. The Norwegian IOC member Kristin Kloster expressed last week that she hopes the IOC can achieve this. – I also think it is a signal about the importance of the sport managing to preserve the athletes’ right to compete regardless of politics, Kristin Kloster told news. Olympic legend Borzov, who was re-elected as an IOC member on Monday, rejects that sport and politics can be kept separate, after the invasion of his homeland. HUGE: The IOC has moved its most important meeting in 2023 to a giant conference center in Mumbai. In this part of the building, they had the opening ceremony on Saturday evening. Photo: Halvor Ekeland The Ukrainian became one of the biggest stars of the Games during the 1972 Olympics, when he competed for the Soviet Union. At that time, the world was in a cold war between East and West. Now his homeland is invaded by Russia. – Will Ukrainian athletes refuse to compete against Russians? – We will have to decide on that later. The situation is developing all the time. So we have not made a decision in advance, says Borzov. Now he is waiting for the Russian reaction to the IOC suspending Russia’s Olympic Committee on the day last week. – Problem for everyone The mood at the IOC session in Mumbai, where this issue has been part of the discussions, is that the vast majority want to have athletes from Russia and Belarus in the Olympics. SESSION: The IOC Session is the highest body of the IOC. Nevertheless, the inclusion of Russian athletes is not part of the decisions that will be made in Mumbai this week. Photo: Halvor Ekeland / news Of the IOC members news has spoken to or who have taken the floor in Mumbai, only Borzov has demanded a full ban on the Russians. The arguments that appear again and again are that “sport is not politics” and that the Olympic idea is about sports competitions across all borders, religion, sexual orientation and so on. The question of Russian participation is not on the agenda in Mumbai either. The world must therefore wait even longer for the IOC to decide what to do with the matter. – I hope that we will have a clarification before the new year on what requirements will be set and what the decision will be, says Valerij Borzov to news during the IOC session in Mumbai. Had to resign The Swedish IOC member Gunilla Lindberg answers the following questions about what she thinks about a possible exclusion: IOC TOPPAR: IOC President Thomas Bach together with IOC member Gunilla Lindberg at the IOC session in 2019. Photo: JEAN – CHRISTOPHE BOTT / AP – I think you have to understand that you are talking about Russian sportsmen. There are many delays as to whether they can participate or not. Now I have heard what was said in the session, and it is clear that Russia is now banned, which I think is good, and we have our opinion from the Nordic countries, says Lindberg. Recently, the Swedish sports president Karl-Erik Nilsson resigned after voting against the Swedish policy of not letting Russian athletes into sports again in a meeting of the European Football Association (UEFA). – If we are going to start with that discussion, I don’t think that Nordic countries can have any representatives at all internationally. It is very difficult to make democratic decisions when there are 206 member states and voting. You may have your own opinion, but that’s democracy too, says Lindberg. – And what is your opinion? – I think so for myself, says Lindberg before ending the interview.
ttn-69
Will consider refusal to compete – news Sport – Sports news, results and broadcasting schedule
