MOSCOW, January 13. /TASS/. The latest statement by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on non-interference in military conflicts is the right decision, and now the organization should practice what it preaches and allow all athletes from around the globe to compete, a senior lawmaker from the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) told TASS on Tuesday.
The IOC press office said in a statement to TASS earlier in the day that the organization must take into account the present-day political context, but does not take sides in global conflicts, as that falls outside its intended mission.
"The statement is correct, so the IOC must now admit all the world’s athletes, regardless of if there are conflicts in their countries," Dmitry Svishchev, deputy chair of the State Duma Committee on Physical Culture and Sports, said.
"They [conflicts] take place almost every minute in several dozen countries. Politics must be set aside and support provided to athletes. It's already difficult for them, because under the conditions of war and the economic situation they don't have the money to train for sports competitions," he continued.
"This organization cannot and must not engage in politics and this should be applied not only to the American team and the Olympic committee of this country, but also to all athletes in the world, regardless of nationality, color, religion, and so on. There should be the same standards for all countries, the IOC should be engaged in defending sports interests and promoting sports principles, interests of athletes, teams," the lawmaker noted.
"However, when the IOC intervened in the affairs of the Russian and Belarusian teams and began to play politics, that's when it all started. And it's hard for the IOC to get out of this situation: gradually, it's the only organization that makes recommendations on the admission of athletes in individual disciplines," Svishchev added.
On January 3, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil Pinto said the United States had attacked civilian and military facilities in Caracas, calling Washington’s actions an act of military aggression. A state of emergency was declared in Venezuela.
US President Donald Trump later confirmed the strikes and announced that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife had been captured and taken out of the country. They were transported to a detention facility in Brooklyn, southern New York.