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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has responded to calls to bar the United States and its athletes from the upcoming Winter Olympics due to the country’s recent military intervention in Venezuela.
The committee ruled out any punishment for the United States in the wake of the intervention.
“As a global organisation, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the IOC said in a statement to the BBC.
“The ability to bring athletes together, wherever they come from, is fundamental to the future of value-based, truly global sport that can give hope to the world.
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Russia hosted the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, the most expensive Olympics ever. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)
“For this reason, the IOC cannot directly involve itself in political affairs or conflicts between countries, as these fall outside our mandate. This is the realm of politics.”
Russian athletes have been banned from the Olympics since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russians invaded Ukraine just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of that year, in violation of the Olympic ceasefire clause in the IOC’s charter. Russia also put Ukrainian athletes there under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee.
The US attack on Venezuela did not violate such a charter and has been praised by many in the international community for the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro and the overthrow of his regime.
The effort came after months pressure on Venezuela like Trump administration conducted more than 20 strikes in Latin American waters targeting alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s broader initiative to curb the flow of drugs into the United States
UN CALLS ON COUNTRIES TO CHANGE ARMS ACTS DURING WINTER OLYMPICS, DO NOT DENY VISAS TO ANY NATION’S ATHLETES
The IOC faced similar calls to exclude Israel from the Olympics due to the Gaza war, but these requests were also rejected when the committee declared that the country’s National Olympic Committee had complied with the Olympic Charter.
However, Indonesia could face a penalty for violating the Olympic Charter, even if it does not result in the exclusion of its athletes from the competition.
The IOC has previously condemned the country for its denial of visas to Israeli athletes, declaring it a breach of the international charter. All talk of Indonesia hosting a future Olympics ended and the IOC advised global organizers not to plan any major events in the country.
The Indonesian government cited security concerns for its decision to deny visas to the Israeli team, warning of potential threats within its country to the safety of the Israeli athletes and risking the safety of others.
However, Team Israel claimed its own country’s the security detail decided the country was sure to get in and cleared his athletes to travel there.
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“We received permission from the Israeli security authorities to participate in the World Championships, provided that the necessary security protocols were in place. From our side, all preparations were completed – registration process, entry visa to Indonesia and confirmation by Israeli security authorities,” the Israel Gymnastics Federation previously told Pakinomist Digital.
Indonesia was previously stripped of its right to host World Cup under 20 years when Bali’s governor refused to host Team Israel in a match.
