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Feb 22, 6:27 pm
The Australian Olympic Committee did not support the position of the Ministry of Sports on Russia
The AOC said that athletes should not be discriminated against “on the basis of their passports or the actions of their governments.” At the same time, the country’s sports minister signed a letter against Russia’s admission to the Olympics.
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The Australian National Olympic Committee (AOC) told the Guardian that it supports the IOC decision to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competitions in a neutral status.
Earlier, representatives of more than 30 countries that agreed at the summit on February 10 to prevent the participation of Russia and Belarus in the Olympics sent a letter to the IOC, where they asked to clarify what the neutral status for athletes would be. Australian Sports Minister Anika Wells was not among the signatories, but her spokesperson said it was only because of the difference in time zones.
“The AOC supports the IOC’s position that the role of sport is to unite the planet through peaceful competition, to promote unity, and not to punish individual athletes for the policies and actions of their governments,” the committee said.
The AOC added that athletes should not be discriminated against “on the basis of their passports or the actions of their governments.”
The IOC called the participation of warring countries in the Olympics “the first step towards peace”
The AOC is an independent organization but receives significant public funding through its member federations.
The head of the IOC, Thomas Bach, after a summit of ministers and officials of countries opposed to the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Olympics, said that it is not for governments to decide which of the athletes can compete.
The IOC stated that their desire to find an option for the participation of athletes from the two countries is supported by all continental associations of NOCs.
Anna Satdinova.
