Russian participation in Olympics could contribute to peace in Ukraine – Hungarian Foreign Minister

Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó decided on Tuesday, 25 July, to share his own thoughts on the "peacemaking power" of sport and how it relates to Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.

Source: Szijjártó on Facebook after a meeting with Ng Ser Miang, Vice President of the International Olympic Committee

Details: As the Hungarian minister said, he spoke "about how good it would be if sport could become an instrument of peace, and if sport and geopolitics could be clearly separated" at the meeting.

Quote: "A fully inclusive Olympics could be a great help in the peaceful resolution of military conflicts, including the war in Ukraine," Szijjártó believes, adding that athletes who "train hard all their lives and have nothing to do with political decisions" will lose out because of suspension from the Olympics.

"The Olympics should not be about politics, but about sports and athletes, the Olympics has a real peacekeeping mission," the Hungarian Foreign Minister wrote.

Szijjártó recalled that Budapest had previously allowed the Ukrainian women's handball team and the Belarusian football team to play a qualifying match for the World Cup on their territory.

Background:

• Governments of almost 30 countries, including France who is the host country of 2024 Summer Olympics, have called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from participating in the Olympics because of issues with the clarity of their "neutrality". The Council of Europe leadership also supported this call.
• German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser has threatened to ban Russian athletes from entering the country if the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allows them to compete. 

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