The International Olympic Committee (IOC) condemned Russia for invading Ukraine on Thursday, saying the Russian government had violated the current Olympic Truce, which aims to harness the power of sport to promote peace and dialogue.
Russia launched an all-out invasion of Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II.
The Olympic Truce, which began seven days before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4, ends seven days after the end of the Paralympic Winter Games from March 4 to 13.
“The International Olympic Committee strongly condemns the violation of the Olympic Truce by the Russian government,” it said in a statement. “The respective UN (United Nations) resolution was adopted by the UN General Assembly on 2 December 2021 by consensus of all 193 UN Member States.”
The resolution calls on member states to cooperate with the IOC and the International Paralympic Committee “to use sport as a tool to promote peace, dialogue and reconciliation”.
The IOC said its president, Thomas Bach, had reiterated its call for peace. Bach urged nations to “give peace a chance” at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics earlier this month.
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