Russian and Belarusian athletes will not compete at the 2023 Asian Games in China, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said. What is known about this?

The IOC explained that athletes from Russia and Belarus were not allowed to participate in the sporting event due to technical reasons.

“The concept of the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in the Asian Games 2023, as discussed at the Olympic Summit in December 2022, has been studied, but turned out to be unfeasible for technical reasons,” the IOC explained.

Participation in the Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8, provided athletes with the opportunity to earn a ticket to the 2024 Olympic Games.

What the IOC said about Russia's participation in tournaments
At the end of March 2023, IOC President Thomas Bach during a press conference said that Russians and citizens of Belarus who do not support the SVO should be allowed to have a neutral status before international competitions.

“The participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions is working. We see this almost every day in a number of sports, most of all in tennis, ” he said .

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watch Barbie (2023) free online
watch Barbie (2023) free online

The decision to participate in the 2024 Olympics will be made at the “right time,” Bach stressed.

“The IOC reserves the right to make a decision at the right time. The IOC has already imposed sanctions on the Russian and Belarusian governments. The flags and anthems of these countries should not be shown at international competitions, these sanctions remain in force,” Thomas Bach stressed.

How did Russia react to the non-admission of athletes to the Asian Games
Honored coach of the USSR Tatyana Tarasova, in an interview with SE, noted that no one expected a different decision from the IOC.

“The IOC has banned us from participating in the Asian Games. And what? Somehow we did not particularly expect to participate in these competitions. We will wait for next year," Tarasova said.

Four-time Olympic biathlon champion Alexander Tikhonov suggested that Russia organize its own sporting events in response to this.

“If we all together with Asia, China and India and others refuse to participate in the Olympics, then they will lose a lot. Everything goes towards it. America may lose the influence they had. Let's see what decision Asia will make," Tikhonov said in a comment to Metaratings.ru.

Where the Russians were allowed to perform under their own flag
On August 28, the International eSports Federation allowed Russian teams to perform with a flag and an anthem, the press service of the Russian eSports Federation reported .

Thirty-two delegates were in favor of lifting the ban, 13 voted against, and 25 abstained.

“On August 28, at the congress of the International Esports Federation, following the results of a vote, the delegates canceled the decision of the congress, according to which Russian athletes could not compete in international competitions under their own flag,” the message said.

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