IOC member opposes barring Russia from Winter Games

PYEONGCHANG, South Korea: A senior International Olympic Committee (IOC) member strongly opposed barring Russia from next year’s Winter Olympics over its doping record on Thursday, comparing a blanket ban to the Holocaust.

World winter sports chief Gian Franco Kasper, an IOC executive board member, said it was unfair to punish athletes on the basis of their nationality.

Concerns have been growing that Russia is yet to clean up its act after a report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) uncovered systematic, state-sponsored doping, notably at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

“I’m just against bans or sanctioning of innocent people,” Kasper said, on the sidelines of an IOC executive board meeting in Pyeongchang, venue for next year’s Winter Games.

“Like Mr. Hitler did — all Jews were to be killed, independently of what they did or did not.”

When challenged about comparing the two situations, Kasper said: “Why not? Of course it’s more extreme. But just the fact that the place you come from makes you guilty, I’m not okay for this, really not.”

The 73-year-old Swiss is president of the International Ski Federation and the Association of International Olympic Winter Sports Federations. He formerly sat on WADA’s executive committee, and has been an IOC member since 2000.

Kasper was speaking as the IOC executive board deliberated proposals for reform of WADA following calls for a shake-up in the fight against doping.

The IOC came under fire last year when it stopped short of banning Russia outright from the Rio Olympics, and instead let individual sports federations decide which Russian athletes could compete.