Russian athletes who did not support their country’s invasion of Ukraine could be reinstated in international sport, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said on Friday.
“This is about readmitting athletes with Russian passports who don’t support the war,” Bach told the Italian daily. Corriere della Sera. We have to think about the future. »
Most sports followed IOC advice in February and banned Russian teams and athletes from competition days after the country launched a military invasion of Ukraine.
As Russian athletes begin to miss qualifying competitions for the Paris Olympics in 2024, this sanction, if extended into the next year, could effectively prevent them from participating in the Games.
In this interview conducted in Rome, Bach indicated that discussions allowed to obtain different points of view about the return of the Russian athletes.
“Let’s be clear: it’s not necessarily about welcoming Russia back,” Bach said. On the other hand, and this is our dilemma, this war was not started by Russian athletes. »
Bach did not indicate how athletes could express their opposition to war, while those who do risk ending up in prison.
Some Russian athletes publicly supported the war last March. They are currently suspended by their respective international federations.
Olympic gold medalist in swimming Evgeny Rylov took part in a pro-war rally also attended by Vladmir Putin in Moscow. Gymnast Ivan Kuliak displayed a “Z”, a pro-military symbol, on his uniform during an international competition.
Former international athletes are now called up to serve as Russia has set up a general mobilization, some media report. The list includes ex-heavyweight champion Nikolai Valuev and footballer Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
Some sports, including tennis and cycling, continued to admit Russian athletes without displaying their flag or playing the national anthem, even when Russian teams were banned.
In athletics, Russians have only been able to participate in international competitions as neutral athletes since 2015, due to the sanction imposed on Russia for systemic doping that marred the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
Bach and the IOC came under fire after the scandal for not being strict enough with Russian athletes, who have competed in every Olympics as neutral athletes since.
Bach told the Corriere della Sera that the mission of the IOC was to be politically neutral and that the “Olympic Games, like sport in general, must serve to unite peoples”.
“For all these reasons, we find ourselves in a real dilemma with regard to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia,” he added. This is why we must study how and when we must resume our mission and in what format it must be done. »
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Associated Press reporter Nicole Winfield, Rome, contributed to this story.