Zelenskyj spoke to Trettebergstuen: – Impossible to separate sport and politics
Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen met some 30 ministers from Europe, Japan, the United States and Canada on Friday.
It comes after the IOC said two weeks ago it would investigate the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The statement met with strong opposition. During the meeting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj addressed the 30 ministers.
– Zelenskyj urged the world to unite against Russia’s aggression and underlined the obvious that when it comes to Russia, there is no difference between politics and sports. There is no neutrality to speak of here. He received good support for this from the sports ministers who took part, Trettebergstuen tells NRK.
– It is not at all relevant to consider letting the Russians go on the international sports scene now. We stand in solidarity behind this and we ask the international sports movement and the authorities of other countries to support the same, said the Minister of Culture.
UN expert Alexandra Xanthaki called the ban “direct discrimination”. She thinks the IOC is violating human rights.
– I think the main human rights violations taking place today are Russia’s war against Ukraine. So it is fair and reasonable, when you cannot separate sport from politics, that Russians should be banned from the international sporting arena, replies Trettebergstuen.
