IOC did not invite Russia and Belarus to the 2024 Summer Olympics

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will not send invitations to Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Summer Games in Paris, the IOC website reports. The relevant letters of invitation to National Olympic Committees (NOCs) should be received on July 26. The decision of the IOC caused an expectedly sharp reaction from the Russian side. Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said it was “a logical continuation of the current IOC policy to neutralize our athletes,” adding that “essentially nothing new has been announced.” It should be noted that the IOC did not submit the news as a separate message, but simply “buried” it in the wilds of a document called “Questions and Answers Concerning Participation in International Competitions of Citizens of Russia and Belarus”. At the same time, the IOC left a loophole for itself in order to allow Russians and Belarusians to participate in the Games. It is unclear, however, in what status.

On Thursday it became known that the Olympic Committees of Russia and Belarus, as well as the NOC of Guatemala (he was disqualified in the fall of 2022 due to the fact that the country’s authorities interfered in his work) will not receive an invitation to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics, which will be held in Paris. Interestingly, the IOC did not issue a separate statement on this matter. Instead of this have been updated published back in February last year, shortly after the start of events in Ukraine, “Questions and answers regarding the participation in international competitions of citizens of Russia and Belarus.”

Somewhere closer to the middle of the document, the IOC reports that on July 26, all NOCs, with the exception of Russian, Belarusian and Guatemalan, will receive letters of invitation to the Games in Paris.

However, as ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov noted, “The IOC 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 sports.” “Therefore, it would now be extremely strange if such an invitation were to happen,” declared Mr. Pozdnyakov in the official Telegram channel of the ROC. “It would be impossible to accept it in any case, since the conditions and criteria put forward for Russian and Belarusian athletes are illegitimate, discriminatory, contrary to the spirit and letter of Russian and international legislation,” Stanislav Pozdnyakov continued. “At the same time, all the principles of fair sports selection for the Olympic Games, and this, I am convinced, is a conscious approach that shows that the Olympic Movement is increasingly immersed in dependence on political influence.

“March Recommendations” (.pdf), which Mr. Pozdnyakov mentioned, really made it extremely difficult for Russians to get to the Games. Then the IOC, which initiated last year, after the start of a special military operation in Ukraine, the introduction of a regime of almost complete sports isolation for representatives of Russia and Belarus, called for its abolition. The head sports structure appealed to its member federations with a request to ensure the return of Russians and Belarusians to international competitions. But only in a neutral status and subject to a number of conditions, the key of which is the rejection of “active” support for a special military operation and the actions of the Russian authorities, including the absence of ties with the Russian armed forces and “national security” agencies. Plus, the participation of Russians and Belarusians at the Olympics in team sports was excluded. In addition, the decision to admit Russian and Belarusian athletes to qualifying competitions was left to the mercy of international federations, and not all of them agreed to soften their position, depriving Russians and Belarusians of the chance to qualify for the Games.

Some federations, even before the change in position of the IOC, allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes, for example International Boxing Association (IBA) (then it had not yet been expelled from the IOC) and International Fencing Federation (FIE). International Wrestling Federation (World Wrestling), International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF), International Taekwondo Federation (World Taekwondo) declared their readiness to let Russian and Belarusian athletes in a neutral status. But the largest federations, for example, the International Federation of Athletics (World Athletics) adhere to the same position.

“We ourselves do not refuse and are very happy if our athletes are given the opportunity to compete,” Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Chernyshenko told reporters on Thursday. “The question is, in exchange for what? If this requires abandoning the homeland and betraying it, then, of course, this does not suit us. To those humiliations that come up when they say: “Speak under a neutral flag and without an anthem,” they now add that you should publicly condemn our decision to hold an NWO. Of course, we don’t agree with that.”

However, in the same “Questions and Answers …” there are also indications that the IOC is still trying to leave itself room for maneuver, for example, in case the SVO ends before the start of the Olympics.

The IOC notes that the previously issued recommendations regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions do not apply to the Olympics itself. “The IOC will make a decision at the appropriate time and at its discretion,” the document says. It also says that the IOC, when making a decision, will not be bound by how the qualifying Olympic competitions went. That is, the IOC leaves for itself the opportunity to still allow athletes from suspended countries.

“There are several important dates. During the year, an expanded list of prospective athletes for participation is provided, at the end of December it is reduced, then again. Selection for the Olympics takes place in several stages, – said “RIA News” ex-Minister of Sports of the Russian Federation Pavel Kolobkov. – I think that in this case there is no deadline date for the invitation, or the deadline is next year. I understand that in relation to Russia and Belarus, certain conditions for the invitation will be accepted. Apparently, the IOC did not develop them, we will wait for what regulations they will offer us.”

Alexander Petrov