Thomas BACH: “Why are Russians allowed to play tennis but not swimming?”

President of the International Olympic Committee Thomas Bach He said the IOC would reconsider its stance on Russian participation in the Paris Olympics.

“We are discussing this. First of all, we are not talking about Paris, but the sporting events that will take place in 2023. We are not talking about Paris yet, we will talk later. To draw attention to two main issues, one of which is a serious concern expressed by two special experts of the UN Human Rights Council. They said that exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes just because of their passports is a violation of human rights.

Like international sports federations, the IOC respects human rights, so we must respond to these concerns. Second, we need to understand why this is possible for tennis players, not for example swimmers. At the Australian Open, we saw a Ukrainian tennis player play against a neutral player with a Russian passport, and even a Belarusian tennis player won the tournament. And why not in swimming or gymnastics?” said Bach.

Note that Ukraine’s Ekaterina Beindl played Kamila Rakhimova during the Australian Open Tennis Championship and the Russian fans scandalized that match.