"I have heard the same message from many of you. Focus on our core. We are a sports organisation. We understand politics and we know we don't operate in a vacuum. But our game is sport. That means keeping sport a neutral ground. A place where every athlete can compete freely, without being held back by the politics or divisions of their governments."
"The general understanding in Milan was that Coventry was referring to Russia's exclusion since it launched its war on Ukraine in 2022. Her comments were also quickly welcomed by the Russian IOC member Shamil Tarpischev, who confirmed that relations with the IOC had improved significantly. It was emphasised in her speech that the political component shouldn't play a role, he told German media. Because sport is inspiration and the future. So far, everything is going smoothly and honourably."
Kirsty Coventry stated that sport must remain a neutral ground where every athlete can compete freely, irrespective of their governments' politics. Gianni Infantino expressed a desire to reinstate Russia to international football. Ukraine's sports minister, Matvii Bidnyi, criticized Infantino as irresponsible and infantile for separating sport from politics. Coventry's remarks were widely interpreted as referring to Russia's exclusion following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russian IOC member Shamil Tarpischev welcomed the comments, saying relations with the IOC had improved and that politics should not play a role in sport. Tarpischev added that everything was proceeding smoothly but that many discussions remained.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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