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Excluding the athletes and officials of the Russian Federation and Belarus from participating in the international Olympic movement

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 15721 | 01 March 2023

Signatories:
Mr Indrek SAAR, Estonia, SOC ; Ms Iwona ARENT, Poland, EC/DA ; Ms Larysa BILOZIR, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Ieva BRANTE, Latvia, NR ; Mr Normunds DZINTARS, Latvia, EC/DA ; Mr Erkin GADIRLI, Azerbaijan, EC/DA ; Mr Andries GRYFFROY, Belgium, NR ; Ms Cécile HEMMEN, Luxembourg, SOC ; Mr Heiki HEPNER, Estonia, EPP/CD ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Maria JUFEREVA-SKURATOVSKI, Estonia, ALDE ; Mr Serhii KALCHENKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Zanda KALNIŅA-LUKAŠEVICA, Latvia, EPP/CD ; Ms Yevheniia KRAVCHUK, Ukraine, ALDE ; Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO, Spain, SOC ; Mr Kazimierz MATUSZNY, Poland, EC/DA ; Mr Oleksandr MEREZHKO, Ukraine, EC/DA ; Ms Aušrinė NORKIENĖ, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Mirosława NYKIEL, Poland, EPP/CD ; Ms Fiona O'LOUGHLIN, Ireland, ALDE ; Ms Foteini PIPILI, Greece, EPP/CD ; Mr Zeki Hakan SIDALI, Türkiye, ALDE ; Mr Kim VALENTIN, Denmark, ALDE

On 24 Februay 2022, the Russian Federation launched an unprovoked war against Ukraine. The Belarus Government has continuously facilitated this war, which has brought unimaginable scale of casualties, suffering and devastation to the people of Ukraine, including for its sport community. Since February 2022, over 200 Ukrainian top athletes have been killed and thousands of sporting facilities have been destroyed. Meanwhile, Russia continues to use sport for propaganda purposes and many Russian athletes have publicly expressed their support to the war. Strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are of clear concern.

Russia has misused the Olympic truce also in 2008 (Beijing Olympics), when attacking Georgia, and in 2014 (Sochi Olympics), when attacking Ukraine. That proves Russia’s systematic and deliberate ignorance against every value and principle the Olympism stands for.

The Olympic Charter and the Fundamental Principles of Olympism clearly state that the goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity. Russian war of aggression is an undisputable breach of this principle, constituting a crime against humanity. The responsible perpetrators of these crimes shall be brought to justice and not be let to hide behind the Olympic flag.

The Parliamentary Assembly should therefore:

  • express its solidarity and support with the Ukrainian sport community;
  • support banning of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international sport, including the Olympic Games. The Assembly should call the IOC to invoke the action as foreseen in Chapter 16 Paragraph 3.8.1 (expulsion) of the Olympic Charter;
  • condemn in highest terms the deliberate action by Russia in attacking the civilian infrastructure in Ukraine.