India absent at voting on UNGA resolution on better world through sports

Two days after the ICC World Cup 2023 final India has absented itself from voting on a General Assembly resolution on sports promoting understanding among peoples and nationsBeing absent during the voting on Tuesday does not amount to a formal abstention as it is not put on recordThe resolution Building a Peaceful and Better World through Sport and the Olympic Ideal was adopted with 118 votes while only Russia and Syria formally abstainedIndias UN Mission did not respond to an IANS query about the absenceThe Assembly session was sparsely attended and 73 countries had stayed awayThe resolution said Sports can contribute to an atmosphere of tolerance and understanding among peoples and nationsSponsored by France it tied the resolution to the Paris Olympics next year and called for an international truce for the event in a tradition going back to 776 BCE when the ancient Greeks stopped fighting during the gamesThe truce is to ensure the safe passage access and participation of athletes officials and all other accredited persons attending the Olympics and the Paralympic Games the resolution saidAlso ReadThe best and worsts of World Cup 2023It also called for ensuring the safety of the GamesSports can play to prevent and counterterrorism and violent extremism and build resilience against radicalisation to violence and terror recruitment it addedIntroducing the resolution on behalf of France Tony Estanguet the President of the Paris 2024 Olympic Organising Committee said The games are the best incarnation of the powers of sport because they bring together tolerance respect and sharing as values throughout the worldThe Olympics show that it is possible to live in harmony and in respect of other people said Estanguet a former Olympic athleteHowever rancour and politics crept inRussias delegate complained that there was a dangerous trend of political interference in sport and of turning it into an instrument for exerting political pressureOur Olympic and Paralympic athletes are being stripped of their dreams for which theyve lived and worked of competing under their own countrys flag she saidInternational Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach said that ensuring nondiscrimination and political neutrality in international sports competitions is crucial for building a better and more peaceful world through sportBut he countered Russias complaint saying that it was suspended because it violated the Olympic Charter by including athletes from regions of Ukraine it had invaded and infringing on the territorial integrity of that countrys Olympic committeeThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever