The Cabinet believes that no athletes from Russia or Belarus should participate in the Paris Olympics next year. Sports Minister Helder writes to the House of Representatives that he has accepted a similar call from the House of Representatives.
Helder held a digital meeting this afternoon with his ministerial colleagues from the European Union, the US and the UK on the subject. President of Ukraine Zelenskyy also attended. He told others that the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus would be an attack on Olympic values and would normalize the war in Ukraine.
Possibly soon joint position
There was broad support for this position. Soon the participating countries will likely come to a common position. The UK head of the consultation stressed the importance of reaching consensus on this.
Prime Minister Rutte spoke of “a sign of courtesy and drawing boundaries” at her weekly press conference. He thinks that sports and politics in general should be separated, but not in this case: “The war has returned to Europe, it has not happened on this scale with thousands of dead since 1945. A case might say: We are silent and “let’s see what happens.”
The International Olympic Committee has not yet ruled out the participation of Russians and Belarusians. This should then be done under a neutral flag. But the Dutch cabinet and many other countries disagree. In his letter to the House of Representatives, Helder acknowledges that this was an IOC decision and that the cabinet could not take any action against it.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
