In February, the IOC asked sports regulators to exclude Russian and Belarusian competitors from competition.

Invasion Russia, which Moscow calls a special military operation, is staged in Belarus.

“It’s not about getting Russia back. It’s about having athletes with Russian passports who don’t support returning to war in competition,” Bach told Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera.

“That’s our dilemma – this war was not started by Russian athletes. But we see that some governments no longer want to respect international sports autonomy. That’s why we have to take these protective measures for at least stay a bit in the driver’s seat and not lose all autonomy And that is why, on the other hand, we must also look, and study, monitor, how and when we can return to complete our mission to bring everything back the world, in any format,” he added.

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Germany stressed that existing advice for Russian athletes remained valid, but he also said the IOC needed to consider the future.

Olympic qualifying competition for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has begun.

“There are no changes to the recommendations. We are very grateful to the International Federation for following them,” Bach added.

“The Olympic movement is about contributing to peace, so we have to look at how we can contribute to peace. I think our main contribution is to have the Olympics and sport in general, as something that still brings people together people and humanity.”

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