The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday recommended the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, under neutral banners and “in an individual capacity”, provided they have not actively supported the war in Ukraine. But the organization’s executive board will decide “at the appropriate time” on their possible participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics, IOC President Thomas Bach told a press conference. Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries have already threatened the Olympics with a boycott in the event of a Russian presence.
The IOC, after four months of consultations with the entire Olympic world, has chosen to leave the primary responsibility to international federations and competition organizers whether or not to invite Russian and Belarusian athletes, contenting itself with “recommendations” to “harmonize their approach.
The body’s executive thus suggests maintaining the exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian teams and limiting the return to competition to athletes “holding a Russian or Belarusian passport” as long as they compete as “individuals”. and under a neutral banner, that they have “not actively supported the war in Ukraine” and are not under contract with the Russian military or security services. While qualifying for the 2024 Olympics has already started in some disciplines, the IOC on Tuesday “did not address” the issue of Russian and Belarusian participation in the next Games.
The IOC’s recommendation is a “slap in the face to Ukrainian athletes,” said Nancy Faeser, Germany’s sports minister. “International sport must condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression in clear terms. This can only be done by completely excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes. (…) There is no reason for Russia to return to world sport. (Vladimir) Putin continues his criminal war with appalling brutality against the Ukrainian civilian population,” she added.
“We must absolutely prevent the regimes in Russia and Belarus from using the participation of their sportsmen and women in international competitions for war propaganda purposes. The next few months will show if this is possible,” said the German Olympic Committee.
“The Russian army kills countless Ukrainians every day, including many sportsmen,” she said. “The Olympics don’t happen in a vacuum. Those who allow the Russian warmonger to use international competitions for their propaganda harm the Olympic idea of ??peace and understanding between peoples,” concludes Nancy Faeser.
Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Piotr Wawrzyk reacted on Twitter: “What positive happened on the side of Russia for its athletes to participate in competitions! From Boutcha, Irpin, Gostomel! Since the daily bombardments of civilian sites! It’s a day of shame for the IOC! Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said he was “disappointed with the IOC’s recommendation”. “We must not close our eyes to reality. Russian sport is under the control of the Kremlin. The Russian regime does not know what fair play is and its athletes have no place in the Olympics,” he wrote.
On the Russian side, the announcement does not pass either. “The criteria announced for the return to international competitions are unacceptable. This is discrimination based on nationality,” Stanislav Pozdnyakov, president of the Russian Olympic Committee, blasted at a press conference.
