Round Table on the Problems of Protection of the Rights of Athletes under Aggravation of the International Situation Held at the University of Teramo (Italy).
18.05.2022On May 16, at the University of Teramo (Italy), a Round Table was held on the topic: “How Do Institutional Relations Affect Sports Autonomy?” The main speakers of the Round Table were Chairman of the IARA BoD Anatoly Peskov, Professor of the Catholic University in Lubeck Slavomir Fundowicz (Poland), Member of the IARA BoD, Deputy Secretary General of the Russian Football Union, Head of the Department of Sports Law of the Kutafin Law University Denis Rogachev, attorney-at-law Emmanuel Laskaridis (Greece). The Round Table was moderated by a member of the IARA BoD, Professor of the University of Teramo, Anna Di Giandomenico (Italy) and Professor of the University of Modena, Maria Francesca Serra (Italy). The Round Table was also attended by 18 professors, graduate students and students of the University of Teramo and heads of branches and commissions of the IARA.
There was a sharp discussion between the participants of the Round Table on the problems of boycotting the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions. Chairman of the IARA BoD Anatoly Peskov called the international isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes as a cruel and cynical violation of international law that has ever taken place in the history of modern world sports. In his opinion, Russian and Belarusian athletes now do not have equal rights with athletes from other countries, they are second-class people. They cannot participate in any international competitions, be citizens of their countries, they are forced to walk in neutral clothes under a neutral flag, listen to neutral anthems. De facto international sports officials demand that Russian and Belarusian athletes forget about their Homeland, where they were born, grew up, where their families live and relatives are buried. He called the boycott of Russian and Belarusian athletes as political and ethnic segregation that has no justification and is inconsistent with the Olympic Charter. Anatoly Peskov sharply criticized the illegal actions of the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Bach and the leaders of international sports federations for the international isolation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, assessed their behavior as short-sighted, leading to a split in world sports and an increase in the tense situation in the world. In his opinion, the International Olympic Committee today is not an organization that unites world athletes, and the modern system of international sports management needs to be reformed. He proposed to strengthen the role of the UN in the management of International Sports, to create in this organization a Committee for the Management of International Sports, as well as a new independent Court of Sports, where appeals could be heard against illegal decisions of the IOC and WADA, as well as decisions of the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Denis Rogachev, Deputy General Secretary of the Russian Football Union, and Emmanuel Laskaridis, attorney at law from Greece, spoke convincingly and interestingly about the legal aspects of FIFA and UEFA's actions aimed at isolating Russian football players. They proposed specific organizational and legal measures to ensure the safety of Russian football players and presented convincing legal arguments to challenge the actions of international sports officials in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.
Priest and professor of the Catholic University in Lubeck Slawomir Fundowiсz (Poland) supported the decision of the IOC and international sports federations to boycott Russian and Belarusian athletes. He spoke about the «outrageous» facts of support by some Russian athletes of Russia's military operations in Ukraine. In his opinion, the boycott of Russian and Belarusian athletes can be ended only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine. In this regard, Anatoly Peskov asked a number of questions to Professor Fundowicz. Why athletes should be responsible for the actions of politicians? Why are they still publicly humiliated by depriving national flag? Why are athletes divided into "bad" and "good" depending on their belonging to specific countries? Athletes of what "bad" countries, according to Western politicians, will be subject to the next political and ethnic segregation, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba or China? Can such boycotts lead to the final destruction of the Olympic Movement and international sports? However, these questions remained unanswered.
Despite opposing points of view, the atmosphere of the Round Table was mutually respectful and friendly, as international sports lawyers have known each other for many years. All participants of the Round Table were unanimous in one opinion. The Cold War in sports must end and international sports must once again become an instrument of world peace.
К списку новостей