Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Uncertainty over whether Russian athletes will qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris affects “less than half” of the 32 summer sports, the organization said on Friday. oversees these federations.
But these sports urgently need more clarity from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) ahead of upcoming qualifying events with less than 17 months to go before the 2024 Olympics open.
Most sports federations are still imposing a one-year suspension on Russia and its military ally Belarus due to the invasion of Ukraine, a suspension recommended by the IOC for athlete safety, before the he organization does not change its discourse as the Paris Games approach.
In January, the IOC asked sports federations to find ways for Russians and Belarusians to compete as neutral athletes.
“There are two issues in our eyes,” said the director of the Association of International Olympic Summer Sports Federations (AFIOSE), Andrew Ryan. First, time is running out. We cannot leave this issue hanging indefinitely until there is a decision made.
“Then if we include the Russians as neutral athletes, what is the definition of neutrality? I don’t think it’s easy to define.”
AFIOSÉ’s seven-member council representing sports contested at the Paris Olympics met for the first time since the IOC said it hoped to find a way for athletes who did not support the war to return to competition international.
IOC President Thomas Bach said history will remember that he was on the side of the athletes, whom he wanted to unite in peace and not exclude because of their passports.
In Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Olympic medalists from the country are leading the campaign to exclude athletes from Russia, who they say should absolutely not participate in the Paris Games. The Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, for her part indicated that there should be no Russian delegation if the war continues.
Although some countries in northern Europe and around the Baltic Sea have spoken of boycotting the Paris Games, a declaration signed last week by 35 nations, including the United States, Britain and Germany, demands that the IOC urgently identify a model of neutrality for athletes.
The IOC had suggested that the Russians and Belarusians participate in the qualifying events in Asia, but this proposal has already been rejected by World Archery, the international archery federation.
“Each sport has its own realities,” said Ugur Erdener, World Archery President. For archery, we cited the nature of the knockout format used and the balance between continental entries.”
Questions about the acceptance of neutral athletes in combat and team sports have also been raised. Ukraine boycotted a judo qualifying event last year due to the presence of Russian athletes who competed as neutral athletes.
“It doesn’t affect our 32 sports,” admitted Ryan. (…) But we need answers from the IOC.”
The IOC Executive Committee is due to meet from March 28 to 30 in Lausanne.
