“Deplorable reactions from governments” – Corriere.it

The opening up to Russians and Belarusians (at the moment in international competitions, perhaps later in the Olympics) decided by the International Olympic Committee on Tuesday has provoked very harsh reactions from top politicians of dozens of nations around the world. Reactions that have not in the least affected the convictions of President Thomas Bach. “It is regrettable to see that some governments do not want to respect the decisions of the majority within the Olympic movement or even the autonomy of sport,” the IOC president said in a press conference Thursday following an executive council meeting. «It is regrettable that these governments do not address the issue of double standards: in fact, we have not seen a single comment on their attitude towards the participation of athletes from countries of the other 70 wars and armed conflicts around the world».

“Government interventions have only strengthened the unity of the Olympic movement,” Bach said. “It cannot be up to politics to decide which athletes can participate in which competition. This would be the end of world sport as we know it today. In our favor there are also two UN reports on human relations which politicians are not taking into account in the slightest».