IOC Chief Questions Kiev's Decision To Skip Championships Alongside Russian Athletes

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd June, 2023) International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach said on Thursday that the Ukrainian government was sanctioning its own athletes by preventing them from participating in international championships alongside Russian and Belarusian athletes.

"Yet, at the respective judo and taekwondo world championships, the Ukrainian athletes were absent. Why? Because they had not been allowed to participate following the instructions of the Ukrainian Sports Ministry. In other words, the Ukrainian athletes are being sanctioned by their own government for the war that has been started by the Russian and Belarusian governments," Bach said during the 140th IOC session.

The IOC's chief also said that it was "really hard to understand" why the Ukrainian government had deprived their own athletes of an opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"It is hard to understand why Ukrainian athletes are allowed to compete in tennis, but not in table tennis," he added.

The IOC recommended in March that Russians and Belarusians be allowed to compete as individual neutral athletes as long as they do not actively support Russia in its conflict with Ukraine or are contracted by their national military or national security agencies.

Many sports organizations across the globe have banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in their competitions in response to Moscow's ongoing military operation in Ukraine and Minsk's alleged support for it. The athletes have also been barred from competing under national flags and using national anthems at major international sport events, including the Olympics.

Paris will host the 2024 Olympics from July 26 to August 11, 2024.