Martin Fourcade does not want Russian and Belarusian athletes to be discriminated against just because of their nationality.
French biathlon legend Martin Fourcade would like Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international sports competitions.
Fourcade has influence in that sense, as he is a member of the International Olympic Committee.
– As a representative of the athletes and as an athlete, I believe that we should think about allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to the Games. That’s my main message. I have been elected to the International Olympic Committee to defend the athletes. I feel like I’m not defending these athletes now. Of course they are Russian and Belarusian, but they are also athletes. I think they should also be defended based on that, Fourcade said In an interview with the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK (you will switch to another service).
Fourcade emphasizes that he is not speaking in the interview as a member of the International Olympic Committee. He supports the Ukrainians and thinks war is terrible. Fourcade also reminds that he was very critical of the Russian state-run doping program.
However, in the French’s opinion, athletes should not be excluded from the games purely because of their citizenship or because the president of their own country does something that he does not approve of.
On Friday, Lithuania’s sports minister said that at least 35 countries are against allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Fourcade is also the president of the Athletes’ Committee for the Paris Olympics.
– I am really ashamed of my country if my country decides to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing, Fourcade said.
– We are really proud to show how beautiful France is. And I don’t understand how we can welcome the world without Russian and Belarusian athletes. I can’t support that.
The current biathlon stars interviewed by NRK do not share Fourcade’s views. They were so dominant in the interview this season Johannes Thingnes Bö as well as his Norwegian compatriot Vetle Sjåstad Christensen and Sweden Sebastian Samuelsson. Christensen reminded that in Russia, sports and the military have close relations. Many athletes work in the army. Sport is also an important propaganda tool in Russia.
– It is important not to just let everyone compete outside the borders of Russia. Then there is no single way to put pressure on ending the war, Thingnes Bö stated.
The discussion began when the International Olympic Committee began to investigate the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international games under a neutral flag.