Ukraine threatened on Thursday January 26 to boycott the Olympic Games scheduled for 2024 in Paris if Russian and Belarusian athletes were invited there, in the face of Moscow’s invasion of the country launched in February 2022.
This possibility was mentioned this Thursday by the mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, who said she wanted Russian athletes to participate under a neutral banner. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its part drew a roadmap on Wednesday to reintegrate them into world sport.
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“Such a situation is unacceptable for our State”, reacted this Thursday the Ukrainian Minister of Sports Vadym Gutzeit. According to him, Kyiv is currently pressuring the IOC and other international organizations to obtain the banning of Russians and Belarusians from the Olympics.
“Our position remains unchanged: as long as the war continues in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not participate in international competitions”continued Vadym Goutzeit on Facebook. “If we are not heard, I do not exclude the possibility that we boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympics”he added.
Behind-the-scenes maneuvers
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had already demanded from his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that the Russians be banned from the next Olympics, scheduled in less than two years.
Ignoring calls from kyiv to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the next Games, the IOC said on Wednesday that the means to allow them to do so must be “further explored”.
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Russia and Belarus have been sidelined from most sporting events since the Russian army invaded Ukraine in February 2022. “No athlete should be banned from competition on the basis of their passport alone”however, said the Committee.
Behind this proclamation of principle, a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers were initiated last fall to bring Russians and Belarusians back into the fold of Olympism, excluded from most international competitions since the invasion of Ukraine.
Countries oppose this return of athletes
In addition to Ukraine, several countries, including Great Britain and Denmark, also opposed the IOC’s initiative on Thursday to find a ” way “ to allow Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics.
Michelle Donelan, Britain’s culture minister who also has responsibility for sport, said the IOC’s initiative was “far removed from the realities of war”. “We condemn any initiative that would allow the President [russe Vladimir] Putin to legitimize his illegal war in Ukraine »she said. “The IOC President [Thomas] Bach himself had condemned Russia less than a year ago for violating the Olympic truce and asked to “give peace a chance””she recalled.
The head of the Danish Olympic Committee, Hans Natorp, stressed that his country was also strongly opposed to Russia’s return to the Olympic world. “Russian aggression in Ukraine escalates”he recalled on Twitter. “In these circumstances, it would be unacceptable to allow Russia and Belarus to participate in sporting events”.
The mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, however wanted Russian athletes to be able to participate in the Olympics but under a neutral banner. “I think this is a moment for athletes and that athletes should not be deprived of their competition. But I think and I plead, like a large part of the sports movement, for there to be no delegation under the Russian banner.she explained on the France 2 television channel. She would prefer to see Russian athletes compete “under a neutral banner”as has already been done.
The organizing committee of the Paris Olympic Games, however, has no say in deciding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC recalled on Wednesday that it is the international federation of each sport concerned at the Olympics which has “sole authority” in the matter.
