“The IOC, as a civil, non-governmental organization, has neither the remit nor the ability to change the laws or political system of a sovereign country,” it added.
Nancy Hogshead, senior director of advocacy for the Women’s Sports Foundation, told Fox News that the IOC’s refusal to condemn Iran’s murder of a teenage wrestler was a failure of moral leadership.
“I’m flabbergasted that the IOC could not denounce the murder of a teenage wrestler in Iran. The governing organizations of the Olympics are non-political, but denouncing the murder of an athlete for political purposes is not political… it is just doing the right thing,” Hogshead said.
“Olympians deserve better. The IOC can and should stand against the execution of athletes by violent regimes for political purposes,” she added.
U.S. swimmer Tyler Clary accused the IOC of hiding behind bureaucracy.
“Hiding behind neutrality and bureaucracy isn’t leadership, it’s avoidance. The IOC says it doesn’t have the authority to influence sovereign nations, but it has never hesitated to take strong positions when it suits its interests,” Clary said. “To suddenly claim impartiality when an athlete is killed shows a lack of backbone and a failure to stand up for the very people who make the Olympic movement possible.”
Gold medalist Maciej Czyzowicz of Poland called the statement “outrageous.”
“The International Olympic Committee’s lack of action and resolve is outrageous. Iran should be banned from the Olympic Games for its behavior, unless the regime is overthrown and a new leadership comes to power,” Czyzowicz said. “If the IOC is unable to stand up for the life of an innocent teenage athlete, it has completely lost all moral credibility. With this statement, they showed that they don’t care if any of the Olympic movement countries break human and civil rights.”
Ruben Gonzalez of Argentina, Eli Bremer of the United States, and Tessa Sanderson of Britain were among the former Olympians to denounce the IOC’s statement.
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