NEW DELHI: The head of Russia's Olympic Committee on Friday criticised the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for allegedly taking sides in the ongoing conflict involving Ukraine. The IOC had issued a statement urging sports federations to handle Ukrainian athletes with sensitivity amid the tense situation.
The accusation suggests that Russia perceives the IOC's call for sensitivity towards Ukrainian athletes as biased against Russia's stance in the geopolitical situation.
This accusation highlights the complexities and sensitivities surrounding international sports events when political tensions and conflicts spill over into the sporting arena.
It is essential for international sports organizations, like the IOC, to navigate such situations carefully and impartially, ensuring that athletes from all nations are treated fairly and respectfully, regardless of the political climate.
The IOC's intention behind urging sensitivity may be to protect athletes from the impact of political disputes and to maintain the principles of sportsmanship and fair play.
"The statement in question indicates that the IOC determined for itself and picked a side in the political conflict, (and) began to act in the interests of this side," Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on Telegram.
On Thursday, Ukrainian fencer Olha Kharlan was disqualified at the World Fencing Championships in Milan after refusing to shake the hand of her beaten Russian opponent Anna Smirnova.
The rules of the International Fencing Federation (FIE) state that the two fencers must shake hands.
Following the incident, the IOC urged international federations to "handle situations involving Ukrainian and individual neutral athletes with the necessary degree of sensitivity".
According to Pozdnyakov, these remarks "clearly showed the duplicity of the so-called recommendations, criteria and parameters".
"Now we have been involuntarily but clearly shown the attitude which absolutely any Russian will face at international competitions".
"Olympism is officially being made a tool controlled from the outside in the interests of a geopolitical order to neutralise our citizens and organisation in sports".
Since Russia launched its offensive in Ukraine, the IOC imposed sporting sanctions on Moscow and its ally Minsk but earlier this year recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes could compete as individuals under a neutral flag and with no anthem.
The IOC is yet to make a final decision over whether to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete at the Paris Olympics next year.
Pozdnyakov said that if Russian athletes are able to go to Paris, it will be "only a few" and "it remains to be seen what the new conditions will be and at what stage they will be imperatively put forward".
(With AFP inputs)
