International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach on Wednesday expressed deep concern about reports of Belarusian athletes being discriminated against by the country’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), headed by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, for their political views.
Protesters have taken to the streets of Belarusian cities since Lukashenko claimed a sixth term with 80 percent of the vote in the Aug. 9 election.
Since the election, riot police have detained thousands of protesters, some of whom have reported torture and abuse in custody, prompting international condemnation and proposed EU sanctions. Several people have died in the crackdown.
A number of prominent Belarusian athletes signed a petition demanding an end to violence and new elections, including two-time Olympic basketball player Yelena Leuchanka, who was detained at Minsk National Airport last month while trying to leave the country and jailed for 15 days over the protests.
The IOC was investigating the “situation of the NOC of Belarus, because in the last couple of weeks we have received various worrying reports through individual athlete letters and the media on the possible politically motivated interference by the National Olympic Committee or its member federations,” Bach said.
The IOC had sought assurances from the Belarusian government and the NOC that athletes would not be discriminated against for political views that might be perceived as anti-government, Bach said.
The NOC had responded that “the selection process of athletes for upcoming Olympic Games will be based strictly on athletes’ performance and results in major sports events,” he added.
When the IOC enquired specifically about Leuchanka, the NOC simply said that she had not been a member of the national team since early 2018.
The committee’s executive board “will continue and strengthen our investigation to determine whether the NOC has fulfilled and is fulfilling its obligations towards its athletes as per the Olympic Charter and as they have committed to do in answers to our letters,” Bach said.
“As part of this procedure the IOC will also investigate whether the funds provided to the NOC by the IOC have been directed towards their approved recipients, notably the Olympic scholarship holders preparing for the Tokyo Olympics 2020, and this is happening without any discrimination,” he said.
“We are very concerned about the information we are getting,” he added. “This is why we are looking into it and we will strengthen our investigation because here what we are hearing... is that in fact athletes are saying that they are discriminated by their NOC just for political reasons.”
“Non-discrimination is an essential value of the Olympic Movement and of the Olympic Charter and this is why we are so concerned and this is why we are taking it so seriously,” he said.
NO HARD FEELINGS: Taiwan’s Lin Hsiang-ti and Indonesia’s Dhinda Amartya Pratiwi embraced after fighting to a tense and rare 30-29 final game in their Uber Cup match The Taiwanese men’s team on Wednesday fought back from the brink of elimination to defeat Denmark in Group C and advance to the quarter-finals of the Thomas Cup, while the women’s team were to face South Korea after press time last night in the Uber Cup quarter-finals in Horsens, Denmark. In the first match, Taiwan’s top shuttler Chou Tien-chen faced a familiar opponent in world No. 3 Anders Antonsen. It was their 16th head-to-head matchup, with the Dane taking his fourth victory in a row against former world No. 2 Chou, winning 21-14, 13-21, 21-15 in 1 hour, 22 minutes. The
Marta Kostyuk’s maiden WTA 1000 title in Madrid came on Saturday thanks to her power, poise and a pair of unexpected lucky shorts. The world No. 23 beat eighth-ranked Mirra Andreeva 6-3, 7-5 in under 90 minutes to secure the most prestigious trophy of her career, her third professional singles title and second in less than a month after Rouen. Yet as the 23-year-old Ukrainian posed for photographs at the Caja Magica, it was not just the silverware that caught the eye. Held alongside her team and her two dogs, Kostyuk showed off a piece of black men’s underwear, prompting
Tennis players are facing an unexpected opponent at the Madrid Open. A stomach virus or food poisoning has affected Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, Marin Cilic and others, raising concerns. World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka avoided an upset by Naomi Osaka on the court on Monday and said she is trying to avoid illness by sticking to a diet of chicken breasts, rice and salad. The rumor among the players was bad shrimp tacos were to blame. Sabalenka knocked on wood for luck and said, “So far, so good. I heard that I have to avoid those tacos,” she laughed, adding “I stick to the
Throwing more than US$5 billion at a divisive new tour and walking away after five seasons does not look like good business, but LIV Golf was not all bad news for Saudi Arabia. Oil-funded LIV, which poached top stars and sent golf’s establishment into a tailspin, helped push the conservative kingdom into global view — one of its key aims, experts said. The exit, confirmed on Thursday after weeks of speculation, does not signal a flight of Saudi money from sport, even after the Middle East war that sparked Iranian attacks around the Gulf, they said. “Saudi Arabia is not
RSS