Sports policy - Putin complains about conditions for Russian Olympic starters
Russian President Vladimir Putin has criticized the conditions for allowing Russian athletes to take part in the Olympic Games.
In principle, he is in favor of their participation in international competitions - even without flying the flag or playing the anthem, the Kremlin leader said at his major press conference on Thursday. "Everyone knows that these are our athletes."
However, if the International Olympic Committee's (IOC) restrictions were aimed at sifting out the best Russian athletes and showing that Russian sport was finished, the Russian authorities would have to reconsider participation, the 71-year-old added. The IOC had suspended Russian athletes because of the war of aggression against Ukraine ordered by Putin.
Permission to compete subject to conditions
Last week, the IOC then granted individual athletes from Russia and Belarus permission to compete in the 2024 Summer Games subject to certain conditions, provided they meet the qualification requirements. As is already the case for the return to international competitions, the condition is that Russians and Belarusians may only compete in Paris under a neutral flag. Teams are not permitted.
Furthermore, these athletes must have no connection to the army or security forces and must not have actively shown their support for the war in Ukraine. It remains unclear how this access restriction is to be checked and safeguarded across the board. In addition, the anti-doping guidelines must be met - another requirement whose implementation is likely to cause debate in world sport given Russia's long list of doping offenders.
Putin has now sharply criticized these restrictions. This would exclude athletes who are registered with leading sports clubs such as ZSKA or Dynamo. ZSKA is the abbreviation for Central Sports Club of the Armed Forces. Dynamo is traditionally regarded as a club with close ties to the Russian secret service. However, Putin denied existing links between such clubs and the security services.
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- Despite the criticism from Vladimir Putin, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted individual athletes from Russia and Belarus permission to compete in the 2024 Summer Games, subject to certain conditions.
- The conditions set by the IOC include having no connection to the army or security forces and not having actively shown support for the war in Ukraine.
- Putin has expressed concern that these restrictions could exclude athletes registered with clubs like ZSKA and Dynamo, which are often associated with the Russian military and security services.
- The IOC suspended Russian athletes due to their country's war of aggression against Ukraine, as ordered by Putin.
- Despite the tension between politics and sports policy, Putin has stated his support for Russian athletes' participation in international competitions, including the Olympics, even without flying their flag or playing their anthem.
- The conflict between Russia and Ukraine has led to significant challenges for Russian athletes seeking international admission, and Putin's sports policy remains a topic of international interest and discussion.
Source: www.stern.de
