IOC focuses on removing travel restrictions for Palestinian athletes

[News_Editor]

IOC focuses on removing travel restrictions for Palestinian athletes

2010-10-07 21:01:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

TEL AVIV, ISRAEL (BNO NEWS) -- International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge on Thursday said that Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu would review ways to lift travel restriction on Palestinian athletes.

During his first trip to the region, Rogge held a press conference in Tel Aviv and expressed concern as Palestinian athletes face constant obstacles when trying to travel in order to participate in international competitions.

“The International Olympic Committee is a sport, not a political or a sovereign organization. I will try to persuade the people who we speak to,†Rogge said, “so we will focus our efforts on removing the obstacles.â€

Rogge invited both sides to the IOC headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland to discuss travel restrictions. "We foster dialogue between athletes," Rogge added. "[The IOC] is not a political committee."

In 1993, the IOC recognized Palestinians after the Palestine Liberation Organization signed an interim peace accord with Israel, and in 1996, during the Olympic games held in Atlanta, a Palestinian team officially competed in the games for the first time.

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