March 29, 2023. The International Olympic Committee again caused a scandal with its recommendations to allow athletes from russia and belarus to participate in qualifying competitions. And although we are talking about certain restrictions, the world perceived it as an attempt to return the aggressors and their henchmen to participate in competitions of the highest world level.
The decision of the IOC Executive Committee was announced by its chairman, Thomas Bach. The committee recommended that international sports federations allow athletes from russia and belarus to compete in tournaments held under their aegis. There are certain conditions for this: athletes from these two countries must compete in a neutral status, it is only about individual athletes, not teams, participation is prohibited for those who actively support the war or have contracts with the russian and belarusian armies, etc. Flags of these countries and other state symbols are also prohibited.
Experts agreed that the official position of the IOC on paper looks completely different than in real life. On the one hand, they claim that ‘sports competitions should unite the world’, and on the other hand, they create a precedent to destroy the positions of the West and international organisations regarding the condemnation of the russian federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the commission of war crimes against Ukrainians. Therefore, talks about the fact that great sport seeks to contribute to world peace have become empty chatter. Because sports will continue to be used for political purposes.
Back in late January, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement saying that governments should not decide which athletes can and cannot compete. ‘No athlete should be denied the right to compete solely because of their passport.’ And after a few lines of the statement – about ‘severe sanctions against the representatives of the great sports of russia and belarus.’
Literally, three months later, the rhetoric of the IOC has changed. It is possible that russians and belarusians will get a chance to participate in both the summer and winter Olympics. Although in a neutral status, without the flags of its aggressive states, it does not change the essence.
The progressive community strongly opposes the IOC’s double standards. In Germany, they expressed themselves surprisingly harshly: the decision of the IOC is a slap in the face to Ukraine.
“The decision of the IOC is a slap in the face for Ukrainian athletes. They deserve the solidarity of international sports. The least that Ukraine can count on is a clear position. International sports must unequivocally condemn the brutal russian war. This can be done only on the condition that russian and belarusian athletes are completely excluded,” said the Minister of German Sports Nancy Faeser.
In turn, the Minister of Sports and Tourism of Poland, Kamil Bortniczuk, claims that the possible neutrality of russian and belarusian athletes is someone’s unhealthy fantasy. At the same time, he assured that the boycott of the Olympic Games is not the goal of Poland or any other country. The minister proposed to the International Olympic Committee to create a team of refugees for russians and belarusians who can participate in sports competitions. In his opinion, this could be a compromise solution.
The Ukrainian Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the President of the NOC, Vadym Gutzeit, reacted quite categorically to the plans of the IOC. “May I ask, is there any other country in the world that has violated the Olympic truce three times in a row (in 2008, 2014, 2022) by launching an unprovoked war? None, except russia and belarus. Did any National Olympic Committee in the world support the wars that started in the world? None, except russian, belarusian, and perhaps Nazi Germany.”
The minister emphasized that many athletes of the russian olympic team are servicemen of the armed forces of the russian federation, who kill Ukrainians. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, every third russian athlete at the 2022 Olympics was a military serviceman, namely– CSKA. And the Olympic Committee of russia fully supports the unleashed war.
Reacting to the IOC’s decision in January, Ukrainian athletes said that if russian and belarusian athletes were admitted to international competitions, they would boycott them, including the Summer Olympics in Paris. However, now the rhetoric has changed: they consider this a weak position and call on the world to put more pressure on the IOC with the demand for a complete ban on aggressors to participate in world sports events.
For example, Mykhailo Romanchuk, swimming champion, and silver and bronze medalist of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is convinced that Ukrainian athletes should not be deprived of the opportunity to tell the truth about the war and convey their position on world platforms.
“As we see in the practice of some federations, money decides a lot. I believe that our athletes should fight. This should be an additional motivation to bite and win. Athletes can leave the country, so we can tell Europe and the world what is happening in Ukraine. I believe that we must compete and prove on the international stage that we are strong and will fight to the end, despite the conditions of training and life. We are a strong nation,” said the swimmer.
Ukrainian federations also oppose the decision of the IOC. As such, a few months ago, the Water Polo Federation sent a letter to the IOC, in which it categorically demands that the committee abandon its shameful recommendations to allow athletes from russia and belarus to participate in international sports competitions and the Paris Olympics. Due to military aggression, Ukrainian water polo lost one of its best athletes – the former captain of the Ukrainian water polo team, Yevhen Obedinskyi, died in the destroyed Mariupol, and his daughter Kira was held by the occupiers for a long time. Also, the state coach of Ukraine, a judge of the national water polo category, Vitaliy Lisun, who defended the country from Russian aggression in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, died on the front lines.
The President of the Federation Oleksandr Svishchov believes that such initiatives not only cast a shadow on the reputation of international sports but in the future may also become an ‘indulgence’ for russians in other spheres – for example, economic and political.
“It is absolutely obvious what this decision can lead to. Giving russian and belarusian athletes the opportunity to participate in international competitions now means a ‘green light’ for them to the Summer Olympics in Paris in the future. That is, a signal is given: nothing has happened, and the aggressors and their aides can calmly speak together with representatives of civilised countries. Supporters of this decision promote the thesis that politics and sports are different things but history proves the opposite. Banning participation in prestigious competitions or boycotting sports events has always been an effective lever of influence on states that violated international law. And if the russians now manage to be accepted as their own in the international sports arena, then what’s next? Removal of economic sanctions? An apology for what they did?”- thinks Svishchov.
In his opinion, the permission to compete for russians and belarusians – even under neutral flags – stains international sports in the blood. Moreover, Oleksandr Svishchov stated in principle that the national water polo teams of Ukraine and Ukrainian clubs will not take part in any tournament of any level – be it the World Championship, the European Championship, or any other, if belarusian or russian athletes are scheduled to participate in it.
In total, 262 Ukrainian athletes and coaches died in the year of the full-scale war, and about 40 thousand athletes were forced to go abroad among 7 million refugees. About 350 sports facilities were significantly destroyed or damaged. And these terrible statistics must be constantly in front of Thomas Bach’s eyes. Maybe then he will change his mind.
