“With a flag or without a flag” Speech by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Athlete Rights Association Anatoly Peskov April 3, 2023 in Novosibirsk
03.04.2023
Round Table April 3, 2023 in Novosibirsk at 12.00 (Moscow time) on the topic "With a flag or without a flag: problems of the Olympic movement in an existential world"
“With a flag or without a flag” Speech by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Athlete Rights Association Anatoly Peskov April 3, 2023 in Novosibirsk
Dear Siberian colleagues!
Dear Directors and Members of our organization International Athlete Rights Association!
I am glad to see all of you in full health, full of strength and energy and. I hope, you are ready for any discussions, despite all the difficulties of our existential world.
I especially would like to thank James Nafziger, an outstanding world-famous scientist, Honorary Chairman of the Board of Directors of our organization from the USA, for his excellent welcoming speech.
I especially want to welcome our foreign colleagues Anna Di Giandomenico, professor from the Teramo University (Italy), as well as one of the most famous and influential sports lawyers in the Middle East, Majed Garoub (Saudi Arabia).
I am glad to see you all my dear friends.
It seems to me that today we are discussing a very important issue, namely the possibility of participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, who have been under the sanctions of the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Agency for five years. And it seems to me that we should answer a number of important questions in this regard. In particular, is it possible today for our athletes to participate in international competitions and under what conditions? Should Russian and Belarusian athletes, as before, voluntarily give up the national flag and the national anthem? Should Russian athletes publicly condemn the war in Ukraine?
There are also other questions related to the activities of the international sports and anti-doping organizations themselves. In particular, are their sanctions against athletes justified because of their belonging to countries that are at war? In general, do these organizations have the power to punish politicians for their political decisions or athletes for their own opinions, for example, on issues of war and peace?
There have been plenty of such sanctions against Russian athletes. Let me remind you that on December 5, 2017, the IOC Executive Board, in connection with a doping scandal, not only suspended the activities of the Russian Olympic Committee, but also banned Russian athletes from wearing costumes with national symbols and listening to their national anthem at the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang (South Korea, 2018).) In addition, the IOC banned officials of the Russian Ministry of Sports who are civil servants of the Russian Federation from attending these Olympic Games. A similar decision was made by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne on December 17, 2020 in relation to the Russian Anti-Doping Agency (RUSADA), according to which Russian athletes and personnel were not allowed to attend international sports competitions for two years (until December 16, 2022) if their the uniform did not contain the words "neutral athlete". The Russian anthem was also banned. The court also banned members of the Presidential Administration, the Parliament and the Government of the Russian Federation, the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation from attending international sports competitions. As a result, for more than five years, Russian athletes have been deprived of the opportunity to declare their belonging to the Russian Federation at the Olympic Games and other international competitions. Civil servants of Russia were also punished, including the top political leadership of the country. This story is repeating itself. A year ago, as everyone knows, on February 28, 2022, the IOC Executive Board, in connection with the military events in Ukraine, recommended that international sports federations (I quote verbatim) “do everything possible in their power” in order to ensure that no athlete or an official from Russia or Belarus would not be allowed to participate in international sports competitions. Russians and Belarusians, even in neutral status, were even prohibited from displaying national symbols, colors, flags or anthems in any way at competitions.
In my opinion, these are not sports sanctions, these are purely political sanctions. The IOC punished the sovereign state of Russia, its officials and athletes, without having the powers of the International Criminal Court. In the future, the IOC realized the absurdity, illegality and emotionality of the adopted political sanctions, "softened" its position. IOC President Thomas Bach announced the need for political neutrality of the IOC at the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali on November 15, 2022. By the way, Bach made such a statement after the Appeal of the members of our organization, in which we accused the IOC of politicizing and undermining the unity of international sport. We sent this Appeal to the IOC and to all international sports federations of the world. I don't know if IOC President Bach has read or not read this Appeal. However, there were positive results. President Bach spoke out strongly against the politicization of international sports and against the splitting of the international sports movement at the G-20 leaders' summit in Bali. It is a fact.
I would like to ask one more question. Did the IOC even have the right to deprive Russian athletes of state symbols? Of course not. These sanctions are contrary to the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted unanimously by the UN General Assembly on December 10, 1948. In particular, Article 15: “Everyone has the right to a nationality. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his or her nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality". Article 2 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights notes: "Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration.... Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs...." The IOC violated the norms of the Declaration, forbade athletes to belong to their nationality and homeland. Moreover, the IOC began to conduct differences between athletes according to the status of the countries to which they belong.
It seems to me, these actions of the IOC have nothing to do with the Olympic Charter. The sixth Chapter of the Olympic Charter does not provide for such sanctions as depriving athletes of their national flag, as well as removing national symbols from their clothes. In accordance with the Olympic Charter, no one can force athletes and members of a sports delegation to go to the Olympic Games under neutral flags or in neutral clothes, or to listen to a neutral anthem. The IOC has exceeded its authority and made decisions that are not provided by the Olympic Charter.
Moreover, Russian athletes are now forbidden to have any of their political beliefs and views, in particular, related to their attitude to the special military operation in Ukraine. Athletes may have different points of view on this war. This is normal and correct. Someone may be for, someone against. But no one has the right to force them to change their point of view. This is a violation of article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, according to which everyone has the right to freedom of expression. In accordance with Article 29 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, everyone is guaranteed freedom of thought and speech, and no one can be forced to express their opinions and beliefs or to renounce them. Our athletes are forced to give up their beliefs. They are told to condemn the war, then we will allow you to be at the Olympic Games. In my opinion, this is not acceptable.
The same violations of international and sports law have been committed by the World Anti-Doping Agency. In accordance with articles 22 and 23 of the World Anti-Doping Code, this international document applies exclusively to WADA, the IOC, international federations and other sports and anti-doping organizations. The World Anti-Doping Code regulates the responsibility of athletes, personnel, sports organizations, but not governments. Therefore, in our opinion, any investigations conducted by WADA against individual states and officials of these states, as Professor McLaren did, are illegal and contrary to international law and the World Anti-Doping Code. WADA penalties related to the prohibition of national symbols in sports competitions are also illegal. Athletes are not punished, but the governments of the countries they represent. This is also, in my opinion, unacceptable.
In my opinion, the fight against the symbols of the Russian state is not sports sanctions, as some of our top sports officials naively previously believed, these are real political sanctions. This is a real psychological war of Western politicians against Russia, in which, I would say, international sports and anti-doping organizations are cynically used. What is the banner, flag and coat of arms of the state? These are symbols of state power, established by the constitutional laws of Russia, embodying the national sovereignty and identity of Russia, uniting the people of Russia. If you want to destroy a country, slander its history, destroy its traditions and monuments and state symbols. And such a country will cease to exist. Thus, a powerful state, called the USSR, has already been destroyed. Therefore, the struggle for the symbols of the state is the struggle for the existence of the state. If you want to save a country, save its flag, coat of arms and anthem. If you want to save a combat regiment, do not let the enemy mock the regiment's banner. Therefore, the soldiers always died, but saved and defended the battle flag. You and I must also protect our flag if we want our state not to be destroyed.
My opponents may object to me and say that I am over-dramatizing, politicizing and exaggerating the situation. Nothing terrible happens to Russian and Belarusian athletes. Boycotts, bans, performances under neutral flags have always taken place in the history of the Olympic Games. In 1920, for example, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Turkey and Bulgaria, recognized as the organizers of the First World War, were excluded from participation in the Olympic Games, in 1948 Germany and Japan were excluded for unleashing the Second World War. Since 1962, South Africa was not allowed to the Olympic Games for the policy of apartheid, in 2000 Afghanistan for discrimination against women. The Olympic Games were boycotted for political reasons constantly and by a large number of countries throughout the history of all modern Olympic Games. It was at the Olympic Games in Germany (1936), Australia (1956), Japan (1960), Canada (1976), Russia (1980), USA (1984), South Korea (1988). Also, for various reasons, athletes often competed under a neutral flag. For example, athletes of the USSR and Yugoslavia competed under the Olympic flag at the Olympic Games in Spain (1992) and this was due to the collapse of these countries. There were cases of athletes performing under a neutral flag due to their voluntary expression of will (Moscow, 1980), support for refugees (Rio de Janeiro, 2016), short-term suspension of membership of some national Olympic committees (India and Kuwait) in connection with violations IOC regulations. However, never in the history of the Olympic Movement have so many athletes been collectively sanctioned for such a long time in order to deliberately humiliate their national pride and dignity, to refuse belonging to the countries where they were born and raised, where their parents are buried. In my opinion, this is unacceptable and immoral.
I don’t understand why athletes should be responsible for the actions of politicians? Why are athletes divided into "bad" and "good" depending on their belonging to specific countries? Athletes from which "bad" countries will be subject to the following sanctions? Maybe it will be Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Cuba or China? Will such boycotts lead to the final destruction of the Olympic Movement and international sport? We do not find answers to these questions in the current activities of the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee.
Another question arises, why, for example, the IOC did not punish US athletes earlier for the imperialist wars in Vietnam, Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan? Or why wasn't Georgia punished for violating the principles of the Olympic Truce in 2008 when that country launched a war against South Ossetia on the opening day of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing? This was later recognized by the European Parliament. Why did only Russia and Russian athletes become the main object of the sanctions policy of the IOC and WADA? Unfortunately, there are no answers to these questions either.
This tough sanctions policy continues. There is still no final decision by the IOC on the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris (2024). It is still not clear whether or not Russian and Belarusian athletes will be admitted to these Olympic Games, because an incredible campaign against our athletes in the world. In particular, in February 2023, a group of 35 leading countries of the world demanded that the IOC ban any participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024. The European Parliament also voted against the participation of our athletes even in neutral status. The Polish sports minister has offered to include neutral Russian and Belarusian athletes in the refugee team on the condition that they condemn the war in Ukraine. It seems to me that this is a mockery of the dignity of our athletes.
Should Russian athletes go to these Olympic Games with such a negative and humiliating attitude from many countries? In general, should our athletes again for the seventh year in a row perform in Paris without a banner, walk in neutral clothes, and listen to a neutral anthem. I will express my personal opinion on this matter. This humiliation cannot be tolerated any longer. In my opinion, respect for the national symbols of our country is much more important than gold medals won by neutral athletes. National pride and dignity must be above the selfish and ambitious aspirations of athletes. It is hard for me to imagine that, for example, American or Israeli athletes could go to public humiliation and voluntarily give up their national flag and anthem. To the question “with and without a flag”, my answer is only with a flag and an anthem, with a sense of national dignity and pride. No one has the right to humiliate us, neither the IOC, nor WADA, nor other national Olympic committees of some countries. By the way, this idea has already been supported by the International Fencing Federation and the International Boxing Association. I believe that we should continue the fight for the flag and the anthem.
However, there is also an understanding that Russia cannot take the path of self-isolation and, in any case, must remain part of the international sports world and look for alternative ways for our participation in international sports. It seems to me that we need to remember history and revive the Goodwill Games as an alternative to the Olympic Games. Let me remind you that these Games were created by the American billionaire Ted Turner in response to the boycott of the Olympic Games in Moscow in 1980 and in Los Angeles in 1984. They were held every four years. There were 6 Goodwill Games in different countries, including Russia, USA and Australia. The first Goodwill Games, held in Moscow in 1986, included 182 competitions and brought together more than 3000 athletes representing 79 countries, they set 4 world records. What prevents us from reviving these Goodwill Games. Let's discuss this proposal.
It also seems to me that it is necessary to initiate the creation of new international sports federations instead of those where the rights of Russian and Belarusian athletes have been violated for a long time. First of all, this concerns the World Athletic Federation, headed by Lord Coe (World Athletic). Lord Coe did everything possible to destroy Russian athletics. On his initiative, the Russian Track and Field Federation continues to be banned for more than seven years. As a result, many athletics clubs and federations, sections of children's and youth sports are closed in the regions and cities of Russia. The “queen of sports” athletics has become a pariah. Athletes began to leave this federation and change citizenship. Hundreds of Russian athletes lost their jobs and livelihoods. And what particularly angers me is that Russia continues to fund World Athletic, led by Lord Coe. It seems to me that Russia should say goodbye to Lord Coe and organize new international athletics competitions in which the Russian flag would have equal rights with the flags of other countries. Let’s discuss this proposal as well.
I want to remind in this regard, Dutch National Olympic Committee head Hans Linthorst-Homan proposed in 1957 at the IOC session in Sofia not only to abandon flags and anthems at official ceremonies, but also to organize participation in parades of teams of athletes not by belonging to countries, but by various types sports. This proposal has been repeatedly submitted to the International Olympic Committee for consideration by different Olympic leaders. However, unfortunately, it was rejected or did not gain the proper number of votes. In particular, at the 58th session of the IOC in Athens in 1961, 34 IOC members voted in favor of this proposal, and only 22 voted against. However, these votes were not enough, because such decisions were made by two-thirds of the votes. The initiator of this proposal was IOC President Avery Brundage (1952-1972). This proposal was further supported by another President of the IOC, Lord Killanin (1972-1980) President of the International Olympic Academy in Ancient Olympia, Prince George of Hanover, Chairman of the British Olympic Association Denis Follows, Albert Mayer (Switzerland), Paavo Honkayuuri (Finland) and many other influential members of the IOC supported this suggestion.
It seems to me that this idea is more relevant today than ever in connection with the incredible politicization of international sports and the hysteria around the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games. It is especially important to discuss this idea now, when sport and the world are on the verge of a split, on the verge of the outbreak of the Third World War, when it is necessary to curb mutual hatred and hostility, and to force the athletes of the warring countries to lay down their arms and start a peaceful competition. In my opinion, it would be great if national flags and anthems did not sound at all at the upcoming Olympic Games in Paris, and athletes of different nationalities walked in columns together, showing the whole world their desire to unite humanity and preserve peace on our wonderful planet. It seems to me also that this would be a serious step towards the depoliticization of international sports, and the preservation of the neutrality of the activities of the International Olympic Committee. I propose to discuss this proposal as well.
Colleagues, thank you for your attention
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