As the Paris Olympic Games are fast approaching (July 26 – August 11, 2024), the issue of sanctions against Russian and Belarusian athletes continues to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by the federations. The IOC assures that it will decide “in due time”, even if it means allowing absurd situations to develop.
Should Russian and Belarusian athletes be admitted to Paris-2024 as war continues to rage in Ukraine? AT fourteen months of the Olympic Games, the debate is far from settled. The greatest vagueness reigns around the participation of Russians and Belarusians: the international federations deal on a case-by-case basis with the lifting of sanctions in the light of their interpretation of the recommendations of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Their presence, or not, at the Games (July 26 – August 11, 2024), has yet to be decided by the IOC, which will do so “in good time”, without having set a deadline. In the meantime, the International Federations are divided between those having opened the door to their return and others having closed it. Athletics, for example, maintained its exclusion measures.
Badminton too –: the secretary general of its International Federation (BWF), Thomas Lund, however explained “to be in good dialogue with the IOC to obtain more clarity on the ways forward”, in a statement sent to AFP .
“Clarity” is the key term because the sports, more and more numerous, having endorsed the end of generalized sanctions – this is the case of fencing, table tennis or canoeing – are groping. The conditions recommended by the IOC, under a neutral banner and on an individual basis, are interpreted differently.
Playing doubles ok, team judo no
Russian and Belarusian athletes “can only compete as neutral individual athletes”, indicates the body chaired by Thomas Bach in its recommendations. These clearly exclude “teams”, therefore collective sports, without removing any ambiguity on the collective events of individual disciplines.
“The definition of team sports or team events is established in accordance with the corresponding regulations of the IFs (International Federations, editor’s note)”, evacuates the IOC in a note.
Thus, table tennis prepares the return of eligible athletes in singles tournaments, but also in doubles.
If by chance, their participation in the 2024 Olympics was authorized, Russian and Belarusian table tennis players could try to win a medal in mixed doubles. But not in the team event, mixing four singles and a double.
More surprisingly, four fencers from these two countries could not shoot in teams, in the current state of the decisions of their International Fencing Federation (FIE). But four ceists (for canoeing) or kayakers of these same two nationalities could paddle in the Vaires-sur-Marne basin, since their International Federation, the ICF, is moving towards authorizing crews of two to four.
Neutrality survey
Several International Federations such as those of judo (IJF) or that of fencing (FIE) have recourse to private companies, specialized in e-reputation, to ensure that athletes comply with the principle of neutrality recommended by the IOC. Namely that they are not “athletes who actively support the war”.
It is a question of scrutinizing the media and social networks to ensure the absence of “public declarations” or “wearing of a symbol”, “for example the symbol Z”, in favor of the war, cites the example of the movement Olympic.
Not all the Federations use these services, but all those who have lifted the generalized sanctions have announced the creation of an independent committee to decide on a case-by-case basis.
“There will be outside and inside people so as to both retain knowledge of the sport and have legal and human rights expertise”, describes the vice-president of the International Federation of Modern Pentathlon, Joël Bouzou, “from so as to avoid conflicts of interest”. A major challenge in the reduced biotope of certain sports.
A pressing question as qualifying begins
Except in judo, where nineteen “neutral individual athletes” are currently participating in the Worlds in Doha, the sports that have lifted the suspensions have not yet recorded a return to competition of Russian or Belarusian athletes.
However, the qualification period for the Olympics has begun for several of them, particularly in fencing. Thus, the Russian swordsmen and swordswomen could not shoot at the Seoul Grand Prix (April 27-29), “due to a bureaucratic mess and the slowness of the International Federation”, criticized the president of the Federation Russian to the Russian news agency Tass. The latter, Ilgar Mamedov, therefore asked that “all the qualifying points for this tournament be canceled”.
However, the Olympic movement has given its position on this scenario: the IOC “will not ask international federations to retroactively adapt their qualification systems”.
All eyes are therefore on the European Games, in Krakow, from June 21 to July 2, because they weigh heavily in qualifying in several sports, for example archery or fencing, among those reinstating Russians and Belarusians .
Could these be there? Last month, a fencing World Cup stop in Poznan, Poland, was canceled due to the Russian return. Not to mention that some European confederations – a continent where rejection weighs heavier than on a global scale – are considering excluding Russians and Belarusians. They would then be deprived of the Continental Championship and therefore precious points in the eventual race for the Olympics.
With AFP
2023-05-10 13:13:36
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