The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has been accused of “endorsing” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine after it said it would “explore a pathway” for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at next year’s Paris Olympics.
The IOC’s executive board said on Wednesday that “no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport”, paving the way for sportsmen and women from both nations to compete at Paris 2024 as neutrals.
In December, the Olympic Council of Asia gave permission to both countries’ athletes to compete at qualifiers for the Games, which was supported by the IOC executive board in their meeting.
But a joint statement from Athletes for Ukraine and Global Athlete criticised the IOC’s position.
Its statement read: “Today’s decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in qualifiers to attend the 2024 Paris Olympics sends a message to the world that the International Olympic Committee endorses Russia’s brutal war and invasion of Ukraine.
“The return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition, especially the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, will see the Russian state use athletes once more to bolster the war effort and distract from the atrocities in Ukraine on one of the biggest multi-sport stages in the world.
“The suspension of both Russian and Belarusian athletes and their sporting officials must be fully reinstated until Russia withdraws completely from Ukraine.
“We acknowledge that reinstating the ban will pain many Russian and Belarusian athletes and will deny them an opportunity to pursue their careers on the world stage. We recognised that athletes are not the powerbrokers who are responsible for this war.
“Our call today is a hard stance with a real human cost. However, the cost on Russian and Belarusian athletes pales in comparison to the atrocities experienced by every single Ukrainian.”
In a lengthy statement on Wednesday, the IOC said that Russians and Belarusians permitted to compete would “in no way represent their state or any other organisation in their country” and that “only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete”.
The IOC executive board, however, continued with its ban on any international sports events taking place in either Russia or Belarus while the invasion of Ukraine was ongoing. In addition, no government or state officials would be invited to any sports events or meetings going forward.
UK Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan was also critical of the IOC’s position. In a statement, she said: “I want to be clear that this position from the IOC is a world away from the reality of war being felt by the Ukrainian people.
“We will strongly condemn any action taken that allows President Putin to legitimise his illegal war in Ukraine – a position the IOC previously shared. We… have been unequivocal on this throughout, and we will now work urgently across like-minded countries to ensure that solidarity continues on this issue.”
