The Presidium of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people published a statement on the non-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes to the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris.

We publish the entire text of the statement:

The Olympic Charter, which establishes the basic principles and most important values of Olympism, directly indicates that the goal of Olympism is "the direction of sports for the benefit of the harmonious development of mankind, contributing to the creation of a peaceful society that cares about the preservation of human dignity."

It is a pity, but even in the 21st century, the Olympic movement, as a unique phenomenon and universal activity based on the values of Olympism, covering all five continents, continues to suffer devastating blows from states in which democracy is trampled and dictatorial regimes are established.

In this regard, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people notes with deep indignation the systematic attempts of Russia as an aggressor state, which launched a war against sovereign Ukraine in February 2014, as a result of which Crimea and a number of other territories of Ukraine were occupied, tens of thousands of civilians and servicemen of Ukraine were killed, hundreds of cities, towns, and villages were destroyed, millions of citizens became refugees and forced migrants, aimed at the absolute discredit and destruction of the Olympic movement.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people notes that the same cynical position regarding the values and principles of Olympism was taken by the dictatorial regime of Lukashenko, who seized power in Belarus.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people welcomes the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban the national Olympic committees of Russia and Belarus from participating in the 2024 Olympic Games and other Olympic events.

However, the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people categorically disagrees with the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris under a neutral flag.

International law defines citizenship as a legal relationship between an individual and a state. In a situation related to the Russian-Ukrainian war started by Russia in February 2014, if a citizen of Russia does not take actions directed against this war, does not condemn war crimes committed by Russian troops on the territory of Ukraine, does not oppose the Russian occupation of Crimea, then his position is considered inseparable from the criminal position of the Kremlin. Therefore, the admission of Russian athletes in any capacity to the Olympics will mean tacit approval by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) of the crimes of the Russian aggressor in Ukraine, including the increasing persecution of the indigenous Crimean Tatar people.

The Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people notes that the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games or in any events held as part of the Olympics will be used by the dictatorial regimes of Russia and Belarus to justify the genocide of Ukrainians and Crimean Tatars, as well as an attempt to annex territories of Ukraine.

The Presidium of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar people calls on the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to make a decision on the non-admission of Russian and Belarusian athletes in any capacity to the 2024 Olympic Games, as well as to conduct a thorough check of all participants of the 2024 Olympics regarding their possible support for acts of aggression, attempts annexation of the territories of sovereign states, manifestations of racial discrimination and persecution, including the situation in the occupied Crimea, as clearly violating the Olympic Charter and destroying the main principles and most important values of Olympism.

Chairman of the Mejlis of the Crimean Tatar People, Refat Chubarov

The day before, the International Olympic Committee, based on the results of the meeting in Lausanne, recommended granting permission to Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the competition. The IOC called the athletes' neutral status a condition for the admission of athletes from Russia and Belarus to the Olympics. In particular, according to the recommendations, Russians and Belarusians should perform only in individual sports, not support the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and also not have any connections with the Russian or Belarusian army, as well as with power structures and security agencies.

Before that, IOC President Thomas Bach said that governments should not decide who should participate in the Olympics.

"Governments should not decide who can participate in any sporting event because that would be the end of international sports, the World Championships and the Olympic Games as we know them," France24 quoted Bach as saying.

German Sports Minister Nancy Feser called for "the complete exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes":

"International sports must unconditionally condemn Russia's brutal war of aggression. This can only be done with the complete exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes."

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, in turn, believes that the IOC's decision to return Russian athletes is "a scandal and a betrayal of the true spirit of sport."

Anne Hidalgo, the mayor of Paris, the city that will host the international competition in the summer of 2024, spoke out against the participation of Russians in the Olympic Games as well.