The IOC continues to investigate how athletes from Russia and Belarus could return to international competitions. According to OK CEO Taina Susiluoto, the IOC’s statement was part of a continuum of “prevention victories”.
Finland CEO of the Olympic Committee Taina Susiluoto was not surprised that the International Olympic Committee said on Wednesday night that it would continue to study how Russian and Belarusian athletes would return to international competitions.
The Finnish Olympic Committee strongly condemns Russia’s attack on Ukraine. The position of the Finnish Olympic Committee is that Russians and Belarusians cannot currently be included in international sports activities.
“The KOK’s decision does not correspond to our position, but I could expect something along those lines. I knew we were in the minority with our position,” says Taina Susiluoto.
KOK reported that all parties involved in the negotiations unanimously demanded to keep the current sanctions in place. Competitions are therefore not organized in Russia or Belarus, and the flags or National Anthems of these countries may not be seen or heard at the competitions. But in the case of athletes, the IOC is now ready to be flexible and is exploring the possibilities of how Russians and Belarusians could return to the Games.
“It was assumed that some kind of steps would be taken to find out what the conditions or criteria were for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international sports,” says Susiluoto.
According to Susiluoto, the good thing about the IOC statement was that the sanctions against Russia and Belarus are in force.
“The KOK continues to condemn Russia’s actions and show solidarity with the Ukrainians. It is good that the sanctions have not been lifted. In a way, this is a series of defense wins.”
“The KOK administration’s statement says that as the next step they will approach the international sports federations and ask them for their views. I assume that the next step is for the IOC to deal with the views received. I don’t know about that schedule.”
Susiluoto according to the data, Finland is in the minority, which in addition to Finland includes the Nordic countries, the Baltic countries and some European countries.
“Perhaps they are precisely the countries that have said that the situation should be kept as it is.”
Which parties have promoted the opening of the competitions to Russian and Belarusian athletes?
“The KOK board’s statement says that they have heard widely from different parties. All 206 IOC members have been consulted, as well as the athletes’ commission and international sports federations. The IOC makes it clear that the majority of these parties are of the opinion that the return of Russians and Belarusians to competitions would be subject to very strict conditions.”
“In KOK’s statement, there was speculation about what the future boundary conditions will be like. I could imagine that Russia has certainly brought its point of view to the fore. I don’t think that the majority is in support of Russia, but the majority’s support is more related to the integrity of sport and the fact that sport is about peace.”
According to Susiluoto, the difference of opinion of the Finnish Olympic Committee arises from the view that “Russia has used sports as a tool for its war propaganda”. According to Susiluoto, that background should be taken into account in this situation.
of the IOC according to which athletes’ participation in competitions under strict conditions should be further investigated.
According to the IOC, such strict conditions would include, among other things, that athletes participate in the games as “neutral athletes” who do not represent their country. According to the IOC, there are examples of such participation in professional leagues in Europe and North America.
“Only athletes who fully respect the basic document of the Olympic movement can participate. Those who have not supported the war in Ukraine can compete. Second, only athletes who comply with anti-doping regulations can participate. Individual checks must be carried out for all those who register,” the IOC said in its announcement.
According to the IOC, a large majority in the negotiation meetings asked the IOC to continue developing the above-mentioned concept.
Proposed According to Susiluoto, the criteria seem complicated. The question is how they are evaluated and monitored.
“Then who thinks that the athlete has been in the cause of peace. Individuals may have had very limited opportunities to influence what their opinion is.”
According to Susiluoto, it is also necessary to decide what the athlete’s neutrality in the games means.
“The Tokyo Olympics were not about neutrality. We need to think about how to prevent the athlete or spectators from using the sporting event as a tool for war propaganda.”
In the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international arenas, the difficulty factor is increased by the conditions related to anti-doping.
“The Russians are not known for following common anti-doping rules very well. Monitoring of those criteria must be taken to the individual level. We have to be absolutely certain that the athletes returning to the Games have not used any prohibited substances.”
It is unclear in which schedule Russian and Belarusian athletes could return to IOC competitions or international sports federation competitions. The IOC emphasized that international sports federations are authorities in their own sports.
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