The executive committee of theAssociation of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ACNOA) took place in Nouakchott. In a statement released on Saturday, ANOCA shared its position regarding the future of Russian and Belarusian athletes. “The members came out unanimously in favor of the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in all international competitions. »
The African Olympic Committees are therefore aligning themselves with the position of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), a year and a half before Paris 2024. Paris 2024 Olympic Games, ”details the press release.
“Politics cannot put pressure on sport and take away from it all its nobility values which revolve around peace, unity and solidarity,” adds ANOCA. Athletes must never pay the heavy price of any conflict whatsoever and wherever it may be. »
Common front with the IOC
Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been excluded from international sport. IOC President Thomas Bach would like to reinstate them. For this, the international body has provided a roadmap. Athletes could compete under a neutral banner, provided they had not “actively supported the war in Ukraine”, she announced in January.
A will far from being shared by all. A conference was organized on February 11 between sports ministers from around thirty countries including France, Great Britain and the United States. Following this, a coalition of countries shared a joint letter. She asked the IOC for “clarifications” on the neutrality required for Russian and Belarusian athletes conditioning their participation in Paris 2024.
Ukraine, for its part, is totally opposed to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games. She threatened to boycott the competition if they participated, even under a neutral banner.