Dhe Presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, thanked the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Asian Olympic Council (OCA) for “defending Olympic values” in a statement written on the sidelines of Xi’s state visit to Moscow.
Both parties “oppose the politicization of sport and hope to use the unique role of physical culture and sport to promote solidarity and peace”. The “relevant initiatives and decisions of the IOC and OCA” are “welcome” to Putin and Xi, according to the Tass news agency.
When asked by the FAZ for a reaction to the decision of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation not to compete in future competitions in which Russian and Belarusian athletes take part, the IOC referred to the “democratic decision” of the International Fencing Federation FIE.
This had admitted athletes from the two countries despite the continuation of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine and its logistical support from Belarus. The circumstances of the return of the Russian and Belarusian fencers are, at the request of the FIE and other international sports federations, part of a “consultation process of Olympic movement stakeholders” as part of the democratic decision-making process and will continue.
After its decision on Monday, the Ukrainian fencing association informed the FAZ that the responsibility for the withdrawal of the Ukrainian fencers lay with the FIE and IOC President Thomas Bach.