the IOC authorizes the participation of Russians and Belarusians under a neutral banner – Libération

War between Ukraine and RussiadossierThe Olympic body gave the green light this Friday, December 8, to the presence of Russian and Belarusian athletes for the Paris Olympics, excluding team events and as long as they have not actively supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Their fate is finally decided. The International Olympic Committee authorized this Friday, December 8, the participation in the 2024 Paris Olympics of Russian and Belarusian athletes, respecting several conditions: that their presence is expressed under a neutral banner, excluding team events and if they have not actively supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Criteria deemed unacceptable by Moscow: “The conditions are discriminatory and go against sporting principles. They harm the Olympic Games themselves, and not Russian sport. This approach is absolutely unacceptable,” fumed Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, quoted by the TASS news agency.

The Lausanne-based body followed the common position made public on December 5 by representatives of international federations, the 206 national Olympic committees and athletes. On the occasion of the 12th Olympic Summit, these players in world sport all asked the IOC to admit these Russian and Belarusian athletes “as soon as possible” to the 2024 Paris Olympics, under a neutral banner. They demanded a “rapid” decision, to allow the presence in Paris of the small number of Russian and Belarusian athletes who were able to overcome the qualification obstacle.

Eleven qualified “neutral individual athletes”

However, this question is crucial since the fear of seeing a Ukrainian delegation absent or very weakened in Paris has long worried the Olympic body, and would have made the presence of Russian athletes even more politically delicate, even without an anthem or flag.

Again on Thursday, Ukrainian interim Sports Minister Marviy Bidnyi explained that he did not want Russians and Belarusians in Paris, considering their neutral flag “stained with blood” and fearing that sport would serve “military propaganda purposes”. But he did not threaten a boycott, while several Ukrainian athletes expressed their wish to face and beat the Russians on the competition fields.

After having banned Russians and Belarusians from world sport at the end of February 2022, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the IOC therefore reasoned in two stages to organize their return, explaining on numerous occasions that athletes should not pay for the actions of their government.

In March 2023, the Olympic organization first recommended that international federations reinstate the Russians and Belarusians under a neutral banner in their competitions, while postponing “to an appropriate time” its decision on Paris 2024 like Milan-Cortina 2026. he Olympic body took the time to evaluate the progress of the competitions, considered generally satisfactory, and to see the position of the Ukrainian government evolve, which first required its athletes to boycott any event involving Russians before soften its position this summer.

At present, only 11 “neutral individual athletes” have so far qualified for the competition, i.e. 8 Russians and 3 Belarusians, said the IOC, against around sixty Ukrainian athletes.