Stay out of politics? European Games organisers ok with human rights situation in Belarus


One should go to places where they are welcome rather than engage in maintaining human rights, Janez Kocijancic, President of the European Olympic Committees, said in a recent interview with Deutschlandfunk, when commenting on Belarus’ hosting the Second European Games.

“This comes as no surprise. Sports organisations have never been human rights defenders around the world. We have already seen previous reactions from sports organisations, including the International Olympic Committee and FIFA: nowadays they resemble business structure very closely, so they are not interested in take these factors into account,” says journalist Alyaksandr Starykevich.

Sports officials have also turned a blind eye to the latest report by Human Rights Watch which states that the human rights situation in Belarus significantly deteriorated in 2017.

As for the proposals not to mix sports and politics, they have been repeatedly voiced in the past: for example, by IIHF president Rene Fasel on the eve of the 2014 World Ice Hockey Championship.

“Sports has not been beyond politics for quite some time now. Moreover, it has hardly ever stayed out of politics, aside from very ancient times,” Mr Starykevich believes.

It is noteworthy that sports officials chose Azerbaijan as a venue for the First European Games. It shuld be recalled that human rights defenders have repeatedly accused President Ilham Aliyev of crackdown on democracy and fundamental freedoms of citizens.

The Games might be over one year away, but sports officials are already lavish in praise of Belarus. They seem to have swept dispersing peaceful demonstrations, arrests and heavy fines on activists and journalists under the carpet. So, the chief expert of the European Olympic Committees Asimakis Asimakopulos said during his visit to Belarus that the Games would be a good chance to show our country to the world. However, the Games will not be the only side from which foreigners will see it.

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