Devendra Kumar
The International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutrals at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The decision comes amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, with sporting federations requesting a decision “as soon as possible”. IOC president Thomas Bach had indicated that a final call on the matter would come at an IOC executive board meeting in March next year, but the announcement was published on Tuesday. According to the IOC, federations had noted that athletes from those countries had competed under strict conditions of neutrality in their qualifying events “largely without incident”.
The announcement said that individual neutral athletes who have qualified through the existing qualification systems of international federations will be declared eligible to compete at the Paris Olympics, subject to strict eligibility conditions. These conditions apply to athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport and require them to compete without any affiliation with their national teams or flags. The conditions also bar athletes and support personnel who actively support the war in Ukraine, as well as anyone contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or security agencies.
The IOC’s decision was seen as a compromise, with some athletes from Russia and Belarus already having competed at international events under the banner of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or under the acronym “ANOC” (All-Africa News Agency)”. The World Athletics Council, however, has maintained its position that athletes from Russia and Belarus are not welcome to compete in athletics events. World Athletics president Lord Coe stated that the position of his organization has not altered and that it is “unchanged” that international federations should make judgments that they feel are in the best interests of their sport.
The decision has been criticized by some, with concerns that it may undermine the global effort to isolate Russia and Belarus following their invasion of Ukraine. Others have argued that the decision is a positive step towards promoting international unity and understanding, and that it acknowledges the humanity and sporting achievement of athletes from Russia and Belarus. Ultimately, the decision allows for some Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics, while maintaining strict conditions to prevent the use of the event as a platform to promote their governments’ political agendas.