IOC recommends takeover of Russian athletes – Russia is still angry

After a summit meeting, the Olympic governing body on Tuesday recommended that Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competitions as neutral athletes. Athletes from both countries with connections to the military and security services must remain excluded.

A decision on whether to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Paris Olympics will be made at a later date, IOC President Thomas Bach stressed. According to Article 44.1 of the Olympic Charter, the IOC must send invitations to the National Olympic Committees one year before the opening of the Olympic Games. For the 2024 Games in Paris, the deadline would be July 26, 2023.

Various editions

According to the will of the Olympic umbrella organization, no more international competitions may take place in Russia and Belarus. Government officials of either country may not be invited to competitions. Athletes must do without the flag, anthem and symbols of their home countries and must comply with anti-doping regulations. They are only allowed to participate in competitions if they do not actively support the Russian offensive war in Ukraine.

“We stand by our Olympic values,” said Bach. Nevertheless, the president wants a solution in the spirit of inclusion and in favor of the Russian and Belarusian athletes: “We can open the door for dialogue and work for peace. It works well in sports such as handball, tennis or ice hockey. Russians and Ukrainians also play and fight against each other. Why shouldn’t this also be possible in swimming? What is the difference?”

Opposition to the course of the IOC comes mainly from Ukraine and a number of Western countries. Ukraine points out that many top Russian athletes are also members of the Russian military. In a conversation between IOC chief Bach and the National Olympic Committees on the eve of the IOC deliberations, Ukrainian Sports Minister Wadym Hutzajt recalled that 262 Ukrainian athletes and coaches had already died in the war with Russia.

Ukraine is also threatening to boycott international competitions up to the Olympics to avoid clashes with athletes from Russia and Belarus. German Interior Minister Nancy Faser spoke of a “slap in the face of the Ukrainian athletes” given the ongoing offensive war.

Swiss Olympic, on the other hand

The local association Swiss Olympic, in line with a large collective of countries, takes the view that Russian and Belarusian athletes are still not allowed to participate in international competitions. In February, the sports ministers from 35 countries had already called for further exclusion of said athletes in a joint statement.

In addition to Switzerland, other top sports countries such as Great Britain, Germany, the US, Australia, Japan and France also supported this attitude. However, the IOC repeatedly sharply rejected these calls as impermissible political interference in the interests of sport. “It is not for governments to determine which athletes can participate in which international competitions. That would be the end of world sport as we know it today,” said a statement from the umbrella organization.

The IOC receives support from other parts of the world. Particularly from Africa, Asia, South America and Oceania, there is support for the IOC in its efforts to lift the ban that has been in place since the start of the war.

Meanwhile, Russian President of the National Olympic Committee Stanislav Pozdnyakov said the criteria imposed were “unacceptable” and “discriminatory” and that the decisions of the IOC committee were “a farce”. (nih/sda/dpa/afp)