Interior Minister Set to Ban Russian Athletes in Germany Ahead of Olympics
The International Olympics Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach has recommended that Russian and Belarussian athletes that do not support the invasion of Ukraine and aren’t affiliated with the Russian military should be permitted to return to the global sports event, AtoZSerwisPlus.de reports.
However, the Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, is against this proposal, saying the country’s authorities have the power to make sure that Russian athletes cannot compete on German territory.
“Countries that host major sports events are not powerless. They can control whether Russians can participate in them by issuing visas,” Faeser noted, also pointing out that Germany will act with a clear position regarding the matter.
The German Fencing Federation recently forbade the women’s International Fencing Federation World Cup in Tauberbischofsheim after the governing body for the sport confirmed the return of fencers from Russia and Belarus.
Table tennis, wrestling, and taekwondo are among the sports that also intend to align with the IOC’s recommendations. However, other sports stances such as athletics, equestrians and sports climbing will keep their bans effective.
Germany, on the other hand, will stage several big international events in 2023, including the Canoe Sprint World Championships and the World Archery Championships. Faeser noted that allowing athletes from Russia to participation in the competition would be “a slap in the face to Ukrainians athletes”.
Bach has slammed European Governments, which have criticised the IOC’s decisions towards Russia and Belarus, denouncing their position. The International Committee continues to support a ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sports.
The organisation rejects calls to join the boycott, forbidding athletes from the two nations to participate in the Olympics, which will be staged in Paris this year.
Moreover, there are several European countries that are imposing restrictions towards Russian citizens, with the decision being introduced for solidarity with Ukrainians. Previously, the Czech Republic
Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the Russian players are not welcome in the European country.
“We can confirm that the Czech Foreign Ministry has sent a letter to the NHL to point out that, at this moment, the Czech Republic or any other state in the (visa-free) Schengen zone should not issue visas to the Russian players to enter our territory,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said for the Associated Press.
The Deputy Foreign Minister of Estonia, Martin Smolek also confirmed in a letter to NHL that it would not issue visas to Russian athletes. The statement was made ahead of the games outside North America since the COVID-19 pandemic began.
