Olympic system needs independence, head of World Ethnosport Union says

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) system needs independence from political influences as authorities continue to politicize sports today, the head of the World Ethnosport Union said on Friday.

Necmeddin Bilal Erdogan, attending a session titled "The Future of the Olympic Movement: Challenges and Prospects" as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum held in Russia, emphasized the need to develop different approaches to attract young people to sports.

The World Ethnosport Unıon, located in Istanbul, is an international body engaged in activities to increase and spread awareness of traditional sports and games.

He noted that traditional sports served as one of the best ways to include young people in athletic programs.

Erdogan stated that the Olympic movement started with the aim of bringing humanity together around common values, but the modern sports industry increasingly distanced itself from cultural elements.

The Ethnosport movement presents a critique of the current IOC system and the sports industry, Erdogan said.

Erdogan underlined that the current Olympic system operated as an exclusive club rather than a democratic structure, adding that it failed to represent sports or the world in a balanced way.

Erdogan expressed that many criticisms directed at the UN system also applied to the Olympic system in a different way.

Erdogan said that the dominance of a Western cultural perspective in the sports industry meant the organization would predominantly remain in Western countries as fewer nations could afford to host the Olympic Games.

Erdogan voiced that authorities continue to politicize sports today just as they did throughout history.