Will Russia go to the 2024 Olympics?
Perhaps this is the main question for our sport for the last year. The IOC was supposed to make the final decision on whether or not to admit the Russians on July 26, exactly one year before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris. However, on July 13, the organization announced that the issue of inviting our athletes would be closed “in due course.” What does this mean?
“Continuation of the policy of neutralization”
On July 26, exactly one year before the start of the 2024 Games, the International Olympic Committee must send invitations to Paris to the National Olympic Committees. At the same time, the IOC had to decide whether or not to admit the Russians. But almost two weeks before this date, the organization announced that it would not send invitations to Russia, such as Belarus, for the time being.
“The current IOC recommendations for international federations and organizers of international sporting events on the participation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports in international competitions do not apply to the participation of athletes and their support personnel with Russian or Belarusian passports in the Olympic Games. Games and the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. The IOC will accept this decision at the appropriate time, at its own discretion and without reference to the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions.
Invitations to the 203 eligible NOCs will be sent out on July 26, 2023. This excludes the NOCs of Russia and Belarus, as well as the NOC of Guatemala, which is currently suspended,” the IOC said in a statement.
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Russia has already reacted harshly to this statement. The head of the ROC, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, called what was happening a farce.
“The International Olympic Committee initially ruled out the possibility of inviting the ROC and the NOC of Belarus to the Games, when, in its March recommendations, it essentially deprived the citizens of our countries of the right to nationality in sport. Therefore, now it would be extremely strange if such an invitation happened.
Today’s news is a logical continuation of the current IOC policy of neutering our athletes. In fact, nothing new has been announced. There is also no answer to the question on what legal grounds NOCs are not invited, that their rights are not affected in any way, are not suspended and are not subject to any restrictions. Farce in action,” Pozdnyakov wrote on social media.
Stanislav Pozdniakov
Photo: RIA Novosti
IOC support?
But the IOC’s decision should not be taken as definitively negative. The organization has just brought forward the deadline to make a decision on Russia. If they didn’t want to see us at the Olympics, they would have calmly said this a long time ago. And if the decision drags on, there may be issues that need to be considered. Probably, now the IOC is really working out the conditions for admission and is discussing the possible participation of the Russians in the 2024 Olympics with other NOCs. The question is what the admission conditions will be and whether our athletes will accept them.
The fact that the organization has supported the idea of our athletes participating in the Asian Games and qualifying for the Olympic Games through them also speaks in favor of the IOC.
“This is an agreement in principle with the proposal made by the then President of the Olympic Council of Asia at the Olympic Summit in December 2022 in accordance with the recommendations of the IOC Executive Board for the participation of athletes with Russian or Belarusian passports. in international competitions. Discussions about whether and how exactly this can be implemented are ongoing,” the committee added.
The Russians will be able to enter Asia under even sadder conditions:
Russian athletes were also hypocritically humiliated in Asia. They can only act outside the classification.
“The IOC has found a golden mean”
The fact that the IOC does not want to fully continue with the western side, became clear a long time ago. However, an international organization cannot be called a friend of Russia either. The International Olympic Committee is trying to maintain neutrality or sit on two chairs. Because of this, the organization found itself in a difficult situation: it does not want to be led by both Russia and Ukraine, so it faces confrontation from all sides. However, the IOC itself considers this to be the correct approach.
“The fact that both sides in this confrontation are not happy may indicate that the IOC has found some kind of golden mean, in which all parties can move forward to contribute to mutual understanding and peace. The entire Olympic Movement is firmly committed to its values of uniting the world in peaceful competition.
The Russian side wants the IOC to ignore the special military operation (the wording has been changed in accordance with the official position of the Russian Federation). The Ukrainian side wants the IOC to completely isolate anyone with a Russian or Belarusian passport. Both positions are diametrically opposed to the mission of the IOC and the Olympic Charter.
The IOC in such a difficult situation is guided by its values, which are its compass. That is why the IOC athlete-focused recommendations address their core values of peace, unity, solidarity and non-discrimination,” the statement said.
Keywords from the IOC statement:
The IOC said it has found a middle ground if both Russia and Ukraine are not happy with the recommendations.
In addition, the IOC again criticized the two countries involved in the conflict: Russia for politicized decisions in sport, Ukraine for banning its own athletes from competing in tournaments with Russians. It is not clear what decision the IOC will ultimately make regarding Russia’s participation in the 2024 Olympic Games. When this will happen is also a mystery to everyone. We can only hope that the athletes can still make it to the Olympic Games.
Recently, the IOC chief criticized Russia:
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