UK government takes fight over Russian athletes’ ban to Olympic sponsors

[onthedarkside]

 

The government has written to the Olympic Games’ biggest sponsors urging them to put pressure on the IOC over its proposals to allow Russian and Belarusians to compete again in international sport and the Paris 2024 Games.

 

In a highly unusual move, the culture secretary, Lucy Frazer, has also asked the UK chief executives of the IOC’s worldwide partners – including Coca-Cola, Intel, Samsung and Visa – to press the IOC over a number of significant concerns it has over the potential easing of the ban.

 

“We know sport and politics in Russia and Belarus are heavily intertwined, and we are determined that the regimes in Russia and Belarus must not be allowed to use sport for their propaganda purposes,” the letter states.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/mar/11/uk-government-takes-fight-over-russian-athletes-ban-to-olympic-sponsors

 

[mania]

Sports & politics should be kept separate

[stevenl]

12 minutes ago, mania said:

Sports & politics should be kept separate

Athletes are representing their country.

[RayC]

22 minutes ago, mania said:

Sports & politics should be kept separate

Ideally yes, but in reality sport and politics have always been intertwined viz. the ancient Olympics.

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33 minutes ago, mania said:

Sports & politics should be kept separate

I agree. Tell that to the Russia which has repeatedly been found guilty of doping on a massive scale.