I’m disgusted with Thomas Bach and his weak leadership.
As some feared, the International Olympic Committee made Putin a happy dictator.
They want to allow individual athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports to participate in Paris Olympic qualification.
They add that only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete.
How about Nikita Nagornyy, for example? Head of the Young Army Cadets National Movement. Nagornyy has been publicly supporting his country’s full scale invasion of Ukraine via social media.
TG Saar, a German gymnastics club, cut him from their Bundesliga team because of his support of Putin’s invasion.
Angelina Melnikova took part in a military march, posing with a Russian army veteran, holding a cardboard box marked with the letter Z, the militaristic symbol associated with supporters of the invasion of Ukraine.
What’s the plan IOC? Are you going to allow Melnikova and not Nagorny?
WHO is going to decide?
Clearly this compromise is going to blow up the face of the Olympic movement. Russians are going to compete, return home, then brag about their support of Putin’s war.
Look what happened in Australia when Tennis decided to allow Russian and Belarusian players. Pro-Russia supporters arrive with Putin and ‘Z’ banners
The press release mentions that Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was banned — while participation of “independent athletes” was allowed at the Olympic Games Barcelona 1992.
It carefully avoids including the fact that South Africa did not compete at Olympic Games from 1964 to 1988, as part of the boycott of apartheid. The South African National Olympic Committee (NOC) was expelled from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1970.
Banning South Africa helped speed the end of apartheid.
Banning Russia might help speed the end of innocent civilians being killed by Putin.
The IOC should ban Russia from Paris. Or allow all athletes to compete Paris as independents. One or the other.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 