Slovakia divided over Russian participation at Olympics – EURACTIV.com
The government, opposition and Slovak Olympic Committee are at odds over whether Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
With the Paris 2024 Olympics fast approaching, the debate over whether Russian and Belarusian athletes can participate has also reached Slovakia, with the government and the Olympic Committee disagreeing.
“When they say we shouldn’t confuse politics and sport – that’s exactly why they shouldn’t be there. One country kills for unjustified and fabricated reasons, the other fights back. Taking part in the competition is not an entitlement but a privilege,” said Foreign Minister Rastislav Káčer.
Both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Education reject Russian and Belarusian participation.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) alone decides on participation.
It is not right “to refuse athletes from participating in sporting events because of their nationality,” said the Slovak Olympic Committee, which is among the IOC members whose opinion may differ from the government.
“The condition is that the participating athletes do not support military conflicts and that all their behavior does not violate the ethics of sport, Olympism and the Olympic Charter,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, the Smer-SD party – a member of the Party of European Socialists – delivered a letter to the Slovak Olympic Committee supporting the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics.
“We believe that sport is non-political, the Olympics are the ultimate sporting event that must not show any signs of hate, hostility, disrespect or discrimination,” National Council MP for Smer-SD Richard Takáč said during a press conference in front of the Slovak Republic building Olympic Committees.
In a statement, Smer-SD, currently the second-strongest party in Slovakia according to polls, said that since 2004 the UN General Assembly has passed a resolution that countries should refrain from wars and armed conflicts during the Olympic Games.
“Sport should bring people together. A certain group of people abuses the situation. Maybe only Russian, Belarusian and Ukrainian athletes, coming together at the Olympics, would show politicians that it’s not about how politicians decide what’s going on in Ukraine,” Takáč added.
(Michal Hudec | EURACTIV.sk)