For more than four months now, despite unprecedented pressure on the Russian sports community and unlawful sanctions against Russian athletes, the ROC has continued to prove its commitment to the letter and the spirit of the Olympic Charter and to uphold the true Olympic values.
Unfortunately, the forced escalation of anti-Russian hysteria continues. This occurs in the absence of any reaction to the widespread interference of Western government structures in the affairs of NOCs, who are ordered to support restrictions and suspensions imposed on the basis of nationality and are prohibited from participating in competitions where the Russians compete.It is noteworthy that just a week earlier the Russian Olympic Committee had held events in Kursk to celebrate the All-Russian Olympic Day, whose guests and participants included thousands of city residents and guests from neighboring regions. As before, children and adults, supporters of Team Russia took part in amateur competitions, got acquainted with Olympic champions and prize-winners of different years, tried themselves in different sports disciplines. Despite everything, it all was for the sake of unity, friendship, mutual understanding – as always the Olympic day was devoted to these universal values.
And yesterday Ukrainian missiles flew into residential areas of Kursk and Belgorod regions. Dozens of residential buildings and civilian infrastructure were destroyed as a result of shelling, and Russian citizens and Ukrainian refugees, who may also had participated in the Olympic Day events, were killed and injured.
Maybe now colleagues from international sports organizations will get the urge to visit Kursk or Belgorod as well? Especially since this is not far from the long-suffering Donbass, where the genocide of the local population has continued for the past eight years and the notion “refugees” has become widely used. Just like in the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, Yemen …
The rhetoric we hear from high places, as well as the restrictions on Russian sport, indicate that the unity of the Olympic movement and a non-discriminatory approach to all its participants are denied in the current situation under the pressure of a destructive agenda.
Recent statements and actions by the IOC continue to demonstrate the unprecedented outside interference by forces that are far from the true ideals of sport and Olympic values.
After all, one of the main goals of the International Olympic Committee remains “to take action to strengthen the unity of the Olympic Movement, to protect its independence, to maintain and promote its political neutrality and to preserve the
autonomy of sport” as well as “to act against any form of discrimination affecting the Olympic Movement”.
The ROC consistently calls upon the IOC and international sports organizations to equally protect the rights and legitimate interests of all athletes without exception.
