International Olympic Committee issues resolution condemning racism

MOSCOW, June 10. /TASS/. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) condemns "in the strongest terms" acts of discrimination and racism manifestations, the global organization said in a resolution after the IOC Executive Board’s session on Wednesday. "The IOC stands for non-discrimination as one of the founding pillars of the Olympic Movement, which is reflected in the Olympic Charter," the resolution reads. According to the Olympic Charter’s Fundamental Principle 6, "The enjoyment of the rights and freedoms set forth in this Olympic Charter shall be secured without discrimination of any kind, such as race, color, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." The resolution states: "The IOC Executive Board supports the initiative of the IOC Athletes’ Commission to explore different ways of how Olympic athletes can express their support for the principles enshrined in the Olympic Charter, including at the time of the Olympic Games, and respecting the Olympic spirit." "By participating in the Olympic Games, the athletes are proof of this principle of non-discrimination for any reason. Their respect for all their fellow athletes gives us a glimpse of how humankind as a whole could live together peacefully and respectfully," according to the document. Widespread unrest has engulfed many US states over the killing of an African-American Minneapolis man named George Floyd. A police officer kneeled on his neck and choked him during his arrest. Floyd later died in a local Minneapolis hospital. All officers involved in the fatal incident were fired and are now facing criminal charges. The patrolman in question, Derek Chauvin is being charged with second-degree murder. Shortly after, protests against racial discrimination and police misconduct and brutality flared up in many other countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and France. Read more