The "Russia question" is dividing the world of sports. It is one of the IOC's most pressing problems. That advocates the return of Russian athletes and attacks Ukraine. A position that is not universally understood. Now the BMI has spoken.
After a virtual sports summit with government representatives from more than 30 nations, the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) reaffirmed its position on how the International Olympic Committee (IOC) should deal with the "Russia question". "From our point of view, there is no reason to invite Russian and Belarusian sport to return to competitions," said a BMI spokesman. "The Ukrainian athletes must continue to have the full solidarity and support of the international sports community. The efforts of the IOC to resume the Russian and Belarusian athletes are the wrong way," said the Federal Ministry responsible for sport.
Representatives from Europe, North America, East Asia and Oceania came together virtually on Friday. Germany was represented by Parliamentary State Secretary Mahmut Özdemir. A joint declaration is to be formulated and published in the coming days. However, according to statements made by various participants, it became clear that the IOC concept was generally negative. Culture Minister Lucy Frazer, responsible for sport, who coordinated the meeting, tweeted on Friday evening that she had "made the British position very clear: as long as Putin continues his barbaric war, Russia and Belarus must not be represented at the Olympics."
The reaction from Russia followed and was, as expected, clear. "The attempt to dictate the conditions for athletes to participate in international competitions is absolutely unacceptable. We currently see an undisguised desire to destroy the unity of world sport," Minister of Sport Oleg Matyzin was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies. On the other hand, the Polish Minister of Sport, Kamil Bortniczuk, spoke out in favor of a compromise by proposing that athletes from Russia and Belarus who were critical of the government should start on the Olympic refugee team.
At the end of January, the IOC brought up the possibility of paving the way for athletes from Russia and Belarus to return to international competitions, despite the ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine. However, the IOC named as a requirement, among other things, a strict representative decoupling of the activists from both countries from their nations. A start is only possible without anthems, flags and national colors. Ukraine responded with a boycott threat, which IOC President Thomas Bach sharply condemned in a letter to the Ukrainian Olympic Committee.
