Germany plans to ban athletes from Russia from entering the competition

11.04.2023 0 By NS.Writer

The countries hosting international sports competitions can demonstrate their position towards the Russians regardless of the decisions of the IOC, emphasizes the Minister of the Interior of Germany, Nancy Feser, writes dw.com.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz

If Russian athletes are admitted to international competitions, Germany may refuse to issue them visas to participate in the events that will be held in the country. This was stated by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany, Nancy Faeser, in an interview with the publication of the Funke media group, published on Monday, April 10.

"Countries that host major sporting events are not powerless. By issuing visas, they can control whether Russians will really be able to participate," she said. According to her, giving Russian President Vladimir Putin, "who incites war, a propaganda platform, would mean a betrayal of all the values of sport."

Fezer added that the opening of international competitions for athletes from Russia would be "a slap in the face to Ukrainian athletes." "It is absolutely unacceptable for Ukrainian athletes to meet with athletes who support a country that kills so many civilians in Ukraine," the minister emphasized.

Ukraine calls for Russians to be denied visas

Ukraine previously called for not issuing visas to Russian athletes after the All England Tennis Club and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) allowed Russian and Belarusian players to compete at the Wimbledon tennis tournament at the end of March.

Before that, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as "neutral" athletes. The recommendation does not yet apply to the Olympic Games, which will not be decided before the summer.

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