Will we see the Russians and Belarusians again soon during major sports competitions? The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday recommended the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions, under a neutral banner and “in an individual capacity”, provided they have not actively supported the war in Ukraine.
The athletes concerned will only be able to “compete as neutral individual athletes”, as long as they do not “actively support the war in Ukraine” and are not “under contract” with the army or security agencies of the two countries, announced to the press Thomas Bach, the boss of the IOC.
Above all, the Olympic organization recommends their return “only on condition that it can be revoked at the discretion of the international federation concerned”, and has been careful not to decide on the most explosive subject, namely their participation in the next Olympics.
“The participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions works”, explained the president of the body Thomas Bach at the opening of the meeting of the IOC Executive Board in Lausanne, Switzerland, before explaining that politics could not interfere in sport: “We will not be able to offer a solution that pleases everyone. We may have to live with that. »
“No incident has occurred”
To reintegrate the Russians into international competitions, a year and a half before the Paris Olympics, the IOC President took as an example the tournaments in which they participate: “We see it almost every day in a certain number of sports. Mainly in tennis, but also in cycling, in some table tennis competitions. We see it in ice hockey, in handball. You see it in football and other leagues in the United States, but also in Europe and other continents. And no security incident has occurred. »
However, some Federations are not for the return of Russians and Belarusians. Indeed, the president of World Athletics, Sebastian Coe, has confirmed that athletes from these two nations are still excluded from international competitions.
Some countries reacted immediately. The decision to reinstate the Russians is “a slap in the face to Ukrainian athletes”, denounced the German Minister of Sports on Tuesday. “International sport must clearly condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression. This can only be done by completely excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes, ”judge Nancy Faeser in a press release.
The question of the 2024 Olympics decided “at the appropriate time”
The organization’s executive board will decide “at the appropriate time” on their possible participation in the 2024 Olympics, which Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries threaten to boycott in the event of Russian presence, said IOC President Thomas Bach during of a press conference.
While the qualifications for the 2024 Olympics have already started in certain disciplines, the IOC did not indeed “address” this Tuesday the question of Russian and Belarusian participation in the next Games, explosive in view of the threats of boycott. The Olympic organization will decide “at the appropriate time, at its sole discretion, and without being bound by the results of qualifying competitions for the Olympic Games”, announced Thomas Bach.
Later in the evening, Ukraine preferred to retain, rather than the return of Russian athletes to competition, this postponement concerning the Olympics. “We managed to get the decision on the integration of Russians and Belarusians into the Olympics in 2024 to be postponed,” Ukrainian Sports Minister Vadym Gutzait said on Facebook. He said he wanted to “work” so that no “patriotic” Russian athlete “can enter international sports arenas”.
