Pressball newspaper vs National Olympic Committee in accreditation row
The European Radio for Belarus explores whether NOC officials are going to listen to the champions who supported Pressball and to revise their decision to deny accreditation at the Olympic Games in Beijing to the most popular sports newspaper. According to Henadz Aliakseyenka, the first vice president of the National Olympic Committee, the views of the athletes who spend most of the time training abroad and don’t understand the developments at home, mean nothing to the committee.
“How can Tsylinskaya who come to Minsk once a year speak out in support of the newspaper? I know the way these things are done. That’s why I have no comment. It is not interesting to me”, Alyakseyenka said.
According to the official, it doesn’t matter to the National Olympic Committee what newspapers will get an accreditation to cover the Olympics from Beijing. If Belarusians win medals, there will always be someone to report about it: Sports Panorama or Zvazda. The National Olympic Committee is not going to return to this issue or revoke it.
“At the moment, I have not anything new to anyone. There is nothing but a campaign by Pressball to make athletes and coaches clash with their foreheads”, Alyakseyenka says.
He is also not surprised that President Lukashenka (who also chairs the National Olympic Committee) has not responded to an open letter from Pressball. He says thousands of private requests and letters are tabled with the president daily.
The newspaper was denied accreditation following a request from NOC’s public information commission. The commission had been allegedly approached by the athletes, coaches and ordinary sport amateurs offended by Sviatlana Paramyhina’s article titled “Olympic Dustbin: An Uninvestigated Billion”.
Olympic champion Alexander Medved, a member of the NOC media commission, says he still feels offended by the newspaper even after dozens of athletes have expressed solidarity with the publication. He advises Pressball to write about football only.
“If you were described as “an Olympic dustbin”, what would be your stance? They deserve punishment. It is not the first time that they write libel. In life, various situations occur, but they cannot publish libel written by their correspondents like Tasman. Let them write about what they understand about: football, basketball. They’d better stay away from raising national issues”.
The former Olympic champion advises sport amateurs to read Sovietskaya Belorussia instead of Pressball. As regards the issue of accreditation, Medved says if they receive this order, they will study the issue. He would decline to elaborate where such an order could come from.
The European Radio for Belarus has learned that in respond to Pressball’s campaign to gather voices in support, Sportivnaya Panorama, the newspaper owned by the Ministry of Sports and Tourism, is also collecting statements by famous people in the world of sport in order to back the position of the National Olympic Committee.
30 athletes have backed Pressball against 8 in support of the National Olympic Committee. Pressball is taking a lead so far, but this does not change anything.
NOC supporters:
Iryna Lyaparskaya, head coach, gymnastics
Aliaksei Mirashnichenka, chairman of the sports committee, Belarus Parliament
Eduard Malafeeu, USSR and Belarus honorable coach
Aliaksandr Rudskikh, head coach of national teams
Elina Zverava, master of sports, 2000 discus throw Olympic champion
Alaiksandr Hancharou, head coach, weight-lifting national team
Kamandar Madzhydau, wrestling Olympic champion
Pressball supporters:
Ihar Astapkovich, Siarhei Aleinkau, Aliaksandr Herasimenya, Hanna Hlazkova, Vasil Harbachou, Dzmitry Dashchynski, Marya Itkina, Uladzimir Kopats, Hanna Kapachenya, Aliaksandr Kul, Valery Kurylskaya, Andrei Mezin, Yahor Meschcharakou, Yulia Nestsiarenka, Veranika Paulovich, Natallia Plcheuskaya, Andrei Parashchanka, Valer Pyaunitski, Vital Pyasnyak, Siarhei Punko, Natallya Raskina, Yulia Raskina, Siarhei Rutenka, Dzianis Saviankou, Kanstantsin Siutsou, Hanna Tsiarenya, Henadz Tumilovich, Sviatlana Khakhlova, Natallia Tsylinskaya, Alena Shvaibovich, Aleh Shepel...
