Politics should not influence the discussion about the admission of Russian athletes to competitions. This was announced on February 11 by German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
“This is a decision that the International Olympic Committee (IOC) must make when interacting with associations. I think it’s a bad idea to get involved in politics at the moment,” he told the agency. DPA during the Biathlon World Championships in Oberhof.
Steinmeier expressed confidence that a solution would be found.
“This is a discussion that has just begun and should be further discussed between the IOC and associations. Considering previous decisions, I am quite sure that responsible decisions will be made in the end,” he added.
On the eve of February 10, the Russian Foreign Ministry called unacceptable political demands on Russian athletes as conditions for returning to sports. The Ministry advocated the equal development of sports cooperation.
On January 25, the IOC announced that they would consider allowing Russian athletes who do not support a special military operation to compete in a neutral status.
In response, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, Dmitry Peskov, said that even the wording of the initiative turned out to be too much politics, which “should be alien” to the ideas of the Olympic family.
In early December last year, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the need for all countries to attend the Summer Olympics in Paris, including those in conflict.
