Africa's Olympic Committees Support Return of Russian Athletes to Competitions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) said on Monday that a forum of national commissions had unanimously supported its resolution to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions under a neutral flag.

"Over 100 African athletes representatives taking part in the Continental Athletes’ Forum held in Algiers this weekend have unanimously expressed their full support of the resolution adopted by the ANOCA executive board on 3 March 2023, welcoming the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes competing as neutral athletes in international competitions," the organization said in a statement.

The ANOCA said that sports should not be affected by politics.

In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended that international sports federations ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions after Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine.

Most international federations initially followed the recommendation, but some have since allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to return under a neutral flag.

On January 25, the IOC's executive committee said it might allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2024 Olympics under a neutral flag, causing outrage and protests from a group of 35 countries.

On February 18, the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution condemning the IOC's decision to consider allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes at the Olympic Games. The EU's parliament also called for pressure to be put on the IOC to abandon its openness toward athletes from these two countries. Meanwhile, Ukraine condemned the IOC's position and threatened to boycott the games.