U.S. Reps. Schwartz, Shuster Call Russia’s Invasion of Georgia Unacceptable
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representatives Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), the Co-chairs of the House Georgia Caucus, announced their intention to introduce a resolution when Congress returns to session calling on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to find a new venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics, which are scheduled to be held in Sochi, Russia.
The resolution states that the Russian Federation’s invasion of the Republic of Georgia, a sovereign and democratic nation, on the eve of the 2008 Summer Olympics makes it an unacceptable host for the 2014 winter games. It further states that the location of Sochi, a mere 20 miles from the current conflict zone makes it a practically unacceptable location for the Olympics and that had the (IOC) been aware of these circumstances at the time of awarding the games to Sochi that they would not have selected it as an Olympic venue.
“The Russian Federation’s invasion of the Republic of Georgia and its actions against its democratically elected president violates international standards,” said U.S. Rep. Schwartz. “Russia must realize that its actions in Georgia will not be ignored by the international community. We stand by Georgia, our friend and ally, and call on the IOC to designate a new venue for the Russian Olympics.”
“Russia’s belligerence against the people of Georgia and their democratically elected government cannot go unpunished by the international community,” U.S. Rep. Shuster said. “The Olympics are a time honored event that allows the nations of the world to put their differences aside for the purity of sport. Russia’s blatant violation of the long respected ‘Olympic truce’ should be enough for the IOC to join with us in choosing a more worthy venue for the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Schwartz and Shuster are working in Congress to attract widespread, bipartisan support for the IOC to strip Russia of the 2014 Russian Winter Olympics. In addition, Schwartz and Shuster called upon foreign legislators to introduce similar resolutions in their respective parliaments to send a send message to Russia and the IOC that Russia’s actions should cause it to forfeit the Olympics.
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