Morinari Watanabe was in kyiv on Monday, March 3. "Very worried" after the fiasco of the meeting between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) went there to express his support for Ukrainian gymnasts. "I always say that I am the father of gymnastics, and that gymnasts are my sons and daughters", he suggested during his interview with AIPS.The candidate for the presidency of the IOC does not forget the Russian athletes, however, believing that "It is not good to punish athletes who are not involved in the conflict, because this will create new hatred". And this despite criticism from Ukraine.
"I have repeatedly pleaded with Ukrainian gymnasts not to create new hatred, and I asked them to accept that some Russians participate as neutral athletes. They did not accept. But I will continue to talk about it. Sport can contribute to peace. The IOC has shown in the past that the Olympic Games can help reduce tensions. (…) Today I am in Ukraine, but in the near future I will talk to Russian gymnasts and I will also visit in Israel, Palestine and other conflict zones », he assures. The Japanese leader calls for not "close your eyes and ears" on these sensitive issues: "We need to put the issues on the table and discuss them. I don't want to run away from the problem."
