The news from the IOC Executive Committee turned out to be very atypical for the modern world. We can say that diplomacy is not in fashion today and in general sometimes seems like a relic of the past. Such a concept as a commitment sounds less and less, and many have even begun to forget what it is. And in that context, Thomas Bach recalled the good old traditions of great diplomacy.
I must say that it honestly does its job. The Olympic Movement may not please everyone, but it must unite everyone, or at least try to. The decisions of February-March last year were atypical for the IOC, and this year it became clear that a total ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes would not stick. Additionally, UN officials reminded their Olympic counterparts that discrimination based on nationality or citizenship is unacceptable. It was foolish to expect the IOC to forget about everything and return to Russia at least in the format in which our country went to the Beijing Games last year. Also, no one talked about the flag and the anthem at all. But the requirement not to let anyone in also stopped gaining a foothold in world sport.
And in such conditions, the IOC executive committee made a series of compromise decisions that did not suit anyone, but everyone understood that it could be worse. As before, Russia demands to return to world sports completely, and the coalition of Western countries demands not to return in any way. However, neither party talks about a boycott, respectively, the members of the IOC Executive Board have achieved their goal.
crazy pressure
The worst thing about the IOC decisions is that all questions about admission to the Olympic Games have been postponed. This means that the crazy pressure on the organization and on Thomas Bach personally will continue. On the one hand, the political leadership of Ukraine and its allies, and on the other hand, influential members of the IOC executive committee such as Martin Fourcade and influential Olympic committees, including Western countries, such as Australia. The Russian factor cannot be ruled out either, because Bach has quite good ties to our country. But if the IOC caves in even under pressure from one of the parties, it will undermine its reputation.
Therefore, Thomas Bach and his team members will have to take a comprehensive defense and see how the international federations react to the proposal to allow Russians and Belarusians to compete, albeit under many conditions. It was to measure the temperature in world sports that a pause was made.
For the same reason, we still do not know the answer to the most important question: are the IOC recommendations mandatory for international federations or can they not be considered at all? Formally, the IOC cannot be involved in the activities of the federations, but its clear and unequivocal position can influence subsequent decisions. However, up to now the position has been expressed in the broadest possible way.
What do we know for sure?
1) Russian and Belarusian athletes will compete in white or plain uniforms under the acronym INA (Individual Neutral Athletes) without national symbols, anthems or flags.
2) Said athletes do not participate in the official classification of medals.
3) International competitions in Russia and Belarus are prohibited.
4) The admission of Russian and Belarusian officials to the competition is prohibited.
5) All athletes from Russia and Belarus admitted to the competition must comply with anti-doping regulations.
What needs clarification?
The IOC has decided not to allow athletes who are associated with the armed forces or national security agencies of Russia and Belarus to compete.
Some explanations and some general requirements are required here. It is good that Thomas Bach warned in advance, because athletes can leave the CSKA and Dynamo societies, but it is not clear whether this will help them to participate in the competition. Generally speaking, if Maria Lasitskene moves from CSKA to the Labor Reserves, will she be able to participate in international track and field?
In addition, only those athletes who have not publicly spoken out in support of the special operation in Ukraine will be allowed to participate in international competitions. This point, according to Thomas Bach, follows directly from the Olympic Charter, the thesis of sport out of politics, and the IOC’s peacekeeping mission. And it’s easier with him.
There are two examples of athlete disqualification already applied under this point. Gymnast Ivan Kulyak, who attended the award ceremony wearing a chest patch with the letter Z, and chess player Sergei Karyakin, who wrote a lengthy letter in support of the special operation.
It can be assumed that this approach will continue. So, in fact, the restriction will affect a very small, literally unique number of Russian athletes. And here Roman Teryushkov, a member of the Duma Sports Committee, will not let me lie, who constantly accuses our athletes of lack of patriotism, because they do not talk about the current agenda and do not participate in various patriotic events. But in reality, they are simply obliged to comply with the Olympic Charter until the end of their career, and then, if not, they change coaches.
At the same time, it is important to understand that not a single sports federation will be able to force athletes to sign any documents about their position in the special operation or put an autograph on the Ukrainian flag. This would also be contrary to the Olympic Charter, which prohibits requiring participants in the Olympic movement to express their position, especially if it concerns politics. Therefore, the skier Veronika Stepanova thinks badly and declares that she will have to tell a certain commission about her views and beliefs.
What can be changed?
Serious, in fact, is the ban on participation in international competitions of Russians and Belarusians in team sports. After all, this is the most interesting – football and hockey. Once again, the status of this recommendation is unclear. Will the IOC object if UEFA allows Russian soccer teams to compete in European competitions?
And here we can agree with the President of the ROC Stanislav Pozdnyakov, who considers this decision discriminatory. According to sports lawyer Anna Antseliovich, an appeal can be made to the CAS, in contrast, say, to the requirements not to allow athletes associated with law enforcement to compete.
It must be understood that this decision was made for the reason that there cannot be a completely neutral team, but this is not only discrimination based on passport, but also on belonging to a sport. According to the Olympic Charter, a football player is no different from a runner.
Therefore, it can be assumed that Russian athletes will not immediately and very hardly be admitted to international competitions. It turns out that the IOC decision was made in their interest, but it is clear that it is the biggest compromise.
The main thing for today is that neither the Ministry of Sports nor the ROC are calling for a boycott and complicating the already dire situation into which national sports have fallen. This is also an achievement of the IOC and of the work that has been done to reach a compromise.
Only propagandists on both sides will be given a talking point, who will blame Thomas Bach for all mortal sins and call on their athletes to boycott everything, but they are not expected to listen. Therefore, the chances that we will see the Olympic Games in Paris not only as spectators, but also as fans, have increased after the IOC Executive Committee.
