Two thirds of athletes from Russia, who are to start at the Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag, supported the war in Ukraine or are connected to the Russian army.
Photo: Profimedia
Russian Olympians Ekaterina Lobysheva and Sergey Kariakin during a sports show in Moscow.
The human rights organization Global Rights Compliance, based in The Hague, reported on this on Friday.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the participation of 15 Russians and 16 Belarusians in Paris. They can only compete in individual sports, must not be associated with the military and security forces of their countries, cannot support the war in Ukraine and must meet the conditions of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
However, according to the Global Rights Compliance report, ten Russians violated the conditions set by the IOC.
“Despite the fact that the International Olympic Committee was presented with clear evidence of violations of the terms by Global Rights Compliance, it did not act in accordance with its own rules,” AFP quoted the organization as saying.
The offenses mostly related to the war in Ukraine. In March 2022, cyclist Alena Ivančenková “liked” a post on the social network with Joseph Stalin and the quote “truce with the enemy is possible only after its destruction”.
Tennis player Jelena Vesninova supported posts about how Russian soldiers kill Ukrainians.
Cyclist Tamara Dronová was supposed to speak in public in favor of the war and was also in contact with the Russian security services.
The canoeist Olesia Romasenko is a member of the sports club CSKA, whose shares are owned by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
“If the IOC’s stated goal is to build a better world through sport, then it should take steps to show that it and its affiliates do more than pay lip service to morality and human rights,” said Global Rights Compliance President Wayne Jordash.
In response, the IOC stated that it cannot comment on individual cases and decisions of the review commission:
“She investigated the athletes in accordance with the decision of the IOC Executive Board and the principles that were established. We have nothing to add to that.”
Since the beginning of the war, approximately 450 Ukrainian athletes have died at the front.
Source: sportweb.pravda.sk
