MINSK, 11 December (BelTA) – The National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus took note of the decision of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of 8 December on allowing Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in a neutral status, BelTA learned from the press service of the NOC.
“We welcome the decision to allow Belarusian athletes to compete at the 2024 Paris Games, but the decision does not fully satisfy the interests of the Belarusian sports community. The current strict eligibility conditions, including non-display of national symbols, a limited number of qualifying competitions, ineligibility of athletes to compete in team events remain to be extremely discriminatory against athletes of our country. We are convinced that for the preservation of the integrity of the Olympic movement, the earliest possible eradication of any inequality in sport is in the best interests of the IOC itself,” the NOC of Belarus stressed.
The NOC of Belarus also draws attention to the fact that not all international sports federations are guided by the recommendations and decisions of the IOC. In particular, the International Association of Athletics Federations does not even try to hide the openly discriminatory and politicized position towards the Belarusian athletes: “In this regard, we expect clear explanations of discriminatory conditions of the decision to allow the participation in the remaining qualifying competitions and the Olympic Games in Paris not only from the IOC but also from international federations as the main organizers of competitions in their sports.”
The NOC of Belarus will be guided by the interests of the athletes in the first place, and will undoubtedly continue to work to restore justice and full participation of our athletes in all competitions.
