One year into Russia's war on Ukraine, and with a year or more until the Paris Olympics, the globe's athletes will find themselves increasingly in the political spotlight as governments in Europe and English-speaking nations apply mounting pressure on the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
A statement signed this week by the sports ministers of 35 nations, including Australia, urges the IOC to shelve plans designed to find a way for athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in Paris as "neutrals", since the nations themselves have already been sanctioned by the Olympic body.
