Bach’s speech at ANOC General Assembly raises confusion as to his stance on Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach observes a minute of silence in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Munich Summer Olympics massacre at the opening of the executive board meeting of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), at the Olympic House, in Lausanne, Switzerland September 8, 2022. Laurent Gillieron/Pool via REUTERS

Earlier this week, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach made an hour-long speech at the Association of National Olympic Committee’s (ANOC) General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea. The speech was heavily weighted with opinions on Russian and Belarusian bans confusing listeners around the world, considering Bach continuously defended Russian and Belarusian officials in that speech.

The IOC, at Bach’s recommendation, banned Russian teams and athletes from sports when the military operation in Ukraine broke out in late February. In Seoul, however, Bach said, “athletes should never be the victims of the policies of their own governments.”

The presence of Russian and Belarusian officials at the General Assembly was not fully accepted. Sports Confederation of Denmark (DIF) President Hans Natorp said, “We have the presence of Russian and Belarusian NOCs and we are without the presence of Ukraine,” as the Ukrainians joined the meeting virtually. “It should be the opposite. We need unity – this is built on the principles of the United Nations and Olympic Charter,” Natorp added.

To Natorp’s comments, Bach reportedly responded by saying that Natorp’s organization should “reflect on its role” as a member of the Olympic Movement. Bach also said, “unity also means we are in a democratic organization here, to respect the clear majority.”

Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin greets head of the Russian Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov during a welcoming ceremony for the athletes upon their return from the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Moscow, Russia February 21, 2022. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

Whether the majority is clear or not is still to be decided. While many members attended the General Assembly, the ANOC Acting President Robin Mitchell acknowledged the fact the organization received calls from at least 11 NOCs to reconsider allowing Russian and Belarusian officials to attend.

The NOCs of both Norway and New Zealand also issued statements to the ANOC General Assembly contesting Russia and Belarus’s presence. In addition to the 11 NOC calls to ANOC, seven nations have boycotted the International Gymnastics Federation Congress next month in Istanbul, Turkey due to Russian and Belarusian officials still being allowed to participate.

It is unclear where the IOC will go from here with not only Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees, but now with Bach’s comments, with Russian and Belarusian athletes. Will they be allowed to compete again internationally representing their homeland? Will they be forced to compete as a neutral? Or will the ban across multiple Olympic organizations banning them altogether remain intact?