World Olympians Association urges permanent solution to political bans on athletes

8 | 2 | 2017

WOA would like to reiterate its statement on the right of athletes to compete free from political interference in light of developments in the United States and Iran.

WOA was pleased to see reports that the Iran ban on US athletes competing in Iran has been temporarily lifted in response to the provisional suspension by a US Federal Judge of the ban preventing nationals from seven countries from entering the US as part of President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration.

However, as this is only a temporary solution we would once again encourage authorities to observe the true spirit of sport to ensure athletes maintain the right to compete internationally by putting in place a formal resolution to protect those rights.

In line with the principles of the Olympic Movement, no government should prevent athletes from competing on the international stage and we would urge the US and Iran to systematically respect the values of fair play, friendship and understanding in this regard on a permanent and ongoing basis.

You can read WOA’s previous statement on this matter here.