IOC Concerned Over Afghanistan’s Sports Situation for Women and Girls
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has expressed its growing concern over the Taliban’s blocking of access to sports for women and girls in Afghanistan. The IOC has warned that the country’s national Olympic committee could be suspended for government interference in the independent management of sport. The IOC is also considering supporting Afghanistan’s athletes to compete in Paris as an independent team under the Olympic flag and anthem. The issue will be discussed again in October at an IOC board meeting held in Mumbai, India, soon after the Asian Games.
Indonesia Cautioned Over Hosting Olympic Events
The IOC has cautioned Olympic sports bodies about letting Indonesia host their events due to the country’s restrictions on access to athletes. Indonesia was stripped by FIFA in March of hosting the men’s soccer Under-20 World Cup just seven weeks before it started because the country did not want Israel to play. Indonesia is due to host the World Beach Games in Bali in August for the global umbrella group of national Olympic bodies, known as ANOC. The IOC has advised ANOC to “look at this situation very closely.”
IOC Clears Yelena Isinbayeva to Continue Using IOC Membership
Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic pole vault champion and long-time Russian army officer, has been cleared by the IOC ethics commission to continue using the IOC membership she has had since 2016. The IOC had said in March that her membership status was to be evaluated after Olympic sports bodies were advised that athletes who supported the war in Ukraine or were contracted to the military should not get neutral status to compete internationally. The IOC spokesman Mark Adams said that the “past contractual situation” of Russians prior to the war starting on Feb. 24 last year should not be taken into consideration.
Conclusion
The IOC is concerned about the Taliban’s blocking of access to sports for women and girls in Afghanistan and has warned that the country’s national Olympic committee could be suspended for government interference in the independent management of sport. The IOC is also considering supporting Afghanistan’s athletes to compete in Paris as an independent team under the Olympic flag and anthem. The IOC has cautioned Olympic sports bodies about letting Indonesia host their events due to the country’s restrictions on access to athletes. Yelena Isinbayeva, the two-time Olympic pole vault champion and long-time Russian army officer, has been cleared by the IOC ethics commission to continue using the IOC membership she has had since 2016.