Athletes from Russia and Belarus were allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics

 

    This image of the Olympic Committee and the Russian flag is from the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. The Russian flag will not be seen at the Paris Olympics

Olympic leaders gave the green signal last Friday for athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics as neutral athletes. These athletes can compete in non-team events and therefore cannot supporting the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Eight athletes from Russia and three from Belarus have so far qualified for the Paris Olympic as neutral athletes, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said. Compared to that, the number of athletes who got opportunities from Ukraine is more. More than 60 athletes from Ukraine have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far.

The IOC Executive Board said, "Those neutral athletes who have qualified through the current selection process of the International Federations (IFS) will be declared eligible for the 2024 Paris Olympic."

But it is added that the athletes have to fulfill some tough conditions. No one can participate in the Paris Olympics as a "team of athletes with passports of Russia and Belarus".

In addition, "athletes who actively support the war" will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympics, and "athletes contracted with the military forces or national security agencies of Russia and Belarus" will not be able to participate in the Paris Olympics.

The statement also said, "No official events or venues of the 2024 Paris Olympics will feature national anthems or flags of Russia and Belarus." Besides, "No official of the government of Russia and Belarus will be invited to the 2024 Paris Olympics."

Russia has called the IOC's decision "discriminatory", but said athletes who qualify will be able to go to Paris. Russian Sports Minister Oleg Metyatsyn said, "The terms are discriminatory." These go against the rules of sportsmanship. They are ruining the beauty of the Olympic Games, not Russian sports. This is unacceptable.

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe, however, said that no unbiased athletes will be able to compete in track and field at the Paris Olympics.

Athletes from the two countries have faced bans in various sports since Russia launched a military attack on Ukraine in February 2022. However, at this time, the rules of several sports included in the Olympics have been relaxed to allow the athletes of these two countries to return to the game. They are also subject to conditions.

However, athletes from Russia and Belarus are still banned from athletics. "Some neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus will be seen in Paris, but not in athletics," Sebastian Coe said at the press conference. The position of our game is still unchanged.

Last March, the IOC lifted direct sanctions against athletes from Russia and Belarus. They were allowed to participate in the Olympics as neutral athletes on two conditions: no support for the Ukraine campaign and no contact with the military.

Last Tuesday, representatives of the International Sports Federation and the National Olympic Committee brought the issue forward again. They called for athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the Olympics under a neutral flag. The Paris Olympics will start on July 26 and end on August 11. Athletes' representatives at the Olympic conference in Louisiana have also sought 'clarity' in this regard.

In an interview given to the news agency AFP last Thursday, Ukraine's Acting Sports Minister Matvai Bidnai said, "President Volodymyr Zelensky rightly said that Russian athletes will have blood stains on the neutral flag." We expect a leadership and responsible decision from the IOC, which will not allow Russia to use sport for military propaganda.

The IOC banned the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) last October. The ROC appealed the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) last month.