The IOC in March urged the Olympic sports body to assess the neutrality of the Russians and Belarusians
Release Date – Saturday, July 23 at 08:00 AM
Lausanne: The International Olympic Committee said on Friday it had the backing of 120 countries for its move to qualify some Russian and Belarusian athletes for the Paris Games.
A manifesto issued by the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries, which is chaired by Azerbaijan, said that if next year’s Olympic teams from all 206 countries compete in Paris, they “will be a powerful symbol of human solidarity”.
“Thanks to President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan for his initiative of this important resolution,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.
The IOC in March urged Olympic sports bodies to assess the neutral status of Russian and Belarusian athletes, provided they have not actively supported the war against Ukraine or contracted with the military or state security agencies since February 2022.
The NAM document comes after a two-day meeting in Baku. Members include most countries in Africa and the Middle East, India and Singapore, as well as Cuba, North Korea and Venezuela. Belarus is also a member.
The Non-Aligned Movement said the declaration “emphasizes that sport should not be politicized”. Azerbaijan’s four-year term as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement expires this year.
Azerbaijan’s own sports teams have faced political and security hurdles for staging safe games. Since 2007, European soccer body UEFA has stopped attracting Azerbaijani and Armenian teams to international competitions due to a long-running territorial dispute between the two countries.
Ukrainian and Russian teams have also been separated by UEFA over security risks since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, in violation of international law.
FIFA and World Athletics banned Russian teams and athletes from international events after the military invasion of Ukraine began.
The IOC also urged a quarantine policy, days after the war erupted in the closing week of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. The group has since pushed for reintegration, arguing that excluding athletes simply because of their Russian or Belarusian passports would constitute discrimination.
Other Olympic sports, including cycling and tennis, have kept individual athletes competing. Gymnastics and swimming, key sports for the Summer Olympics, are weighing their decisions ahead of the world championships, which could become Paris’ qualifiers.
