The IOC did not let Russia into the Asian Games “for technical reasons”

Here’s what’s called, and hello. Although, of course, something like this after the protracted silence of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) should have been expected for a long time. The Summer Asian Games will be held from September 23 to October 8 in Hangzhou. And the OCA said it was opening doors for 500 neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus in 12 individual sports.

But to declare and actually open the doors are different things. And this is already such a popular demeanor: the expected surprise. We believed and waited for admission – we were promised it quite specifically. But reality threw serious hints: hopes had to be twisted back, nothing would follow a verbal invitation to the Asian Games.

Asia became a beacon of light in the tunnel of not allowing our athletes to start in December last year, when the international federations had not yet launched the procedure for issuing a neutral status and admission on the recommendations of the IOC. We didn’t hope for anything then, but here it is: the OCA advocated the return of Russia not just to competitions, but even talked about the second most important tournament in the world after the Olympic Games – the Asian Games. He also stated that nothing threatens Russians and Belarusians in Asia. Besides sports, of course.

And IOC President Thomas Bach agreed: a good idea. And then the IOC Executive Committee nodded in the affirmative: yeah, well done in the Olympic Council of Asia. And following this approval, a month later, OCA officially invited Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the Asian Games.

It seemed like a breakthrough in a hopeless situation. Although the worm of doubt persistently crawled to the surface: everything will work out, but subject to the current recommendations of the IOC (which at that moment had already been thrown into the world by Bach). That is, at the Asian Games, our athletes must perform in a neutral status, having passed through the sifting of athletes by special commissions. With the same quite political admission criteria.

As the days passed, the situation deteriorated. The deadline for accepting applications for the participation of teams in the Asian Games ended on March 15, until July 15, the national Olympic committees had to provide lists of participants in the competition. The draw for tournaments in team sports took place at the end of July.

And in early July, the regular assembly of the Asian Olympic Committee took place in Bangkok. And it sounded again: Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate in the Asian Summer Games. Without a flag and an anthem, without medals, out of standings, in the name of qualifying for the Olympic Games in Paris. Up to 500 Russian and Belarusian athletes will take part in the tournament. “But only if the International Olympic Committee gives the green light for them to participate as independent neutral athletes in Paris 2024.”

The final decision was promised to be taken as a result of cooperation between the IOC, OCA, the organizing committee of the Asian Games and international and Asian sports federations. If everything goes well, then the eligible athletes will not have the rights to the medals of the Games, they will perform out of the standings. But they will get the opportunity to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

There were more questions. Understanding how this is all possible is not something that has decreased, but simply lost by default. It remains to wait for clarification. Do they themselves imagine how it can be implemented?

Organizations that “in cooperation” were supposed to give birth to a solution, apparently, held more than one meeting. But they wallowed in the incomprehensible and for themselves. Therefore, three weeks before the start of the Asian Games, when there was nowhere to pull, and there was no need, a refusal was nevertheless announced.

Now the OCA points the finger at the IOC: he did not allow it. And the IOC now says: “The concept of the participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in the Asian Games 2023 was considered, as was discussed at the Olympic Summit in December 2022, but turned out to be unfeasible for technical reasons.”

The wording, of course, without much fuss. The IOC is shutting down the project because the outstretched hand of sports aid has to go back into the pocket due to “faulty pipes”. Although, if you think about it, in the case of the Asian Games, the pipes were out of order from the very beginning. To give athletes from Russia and Belarus the opportunity to compete, but not to officially award medals, to take them out of the competition, that’s okay. But to announce them in the general tournament bracket (and what else?), to give a chance to get qualifying points, but at the same time not to allow them to be taken away from Asian athletes, is still a false notion. Maybe the OCA wanted to help us, but got confused in the networks of the IOC.

By the way, is it even possible? For the IOC to ban something from the OCA? This is, of course, a question. And not a question. The Olympic Council of Asia should not obey. But he is not going to quarrel over us in the current situation with the IOC. The OCA had such a clear reference from the very beginning: we will allow participation, but, starting from the rules of the IOC. And at the very end: athletes will perform if the IOC allows Russia and Belarus to the Olympic Games.

And this just didn’t happen: the day of the official invitation of countries to Paris 2024 from the IOC passed us by. Russia issued an indefinite wait. Moreover, the Asian Games will already be held, and the IOC will not announce its decision on our participation in the Olympic Games yet. Even the IOC session, which is scheduled for mid-October, according to Thomas Bach, is not at all a reason to wait for a verdict. The IOC intends to observe how national federations implement the conditions to ensure the participation of neutral athletes. “Depending on the result, we will make a decision in due time, and this will not happen in October.”

And how could the OCA, who does not want to quarrel with the IOC, act, even if he really wants “peace, friendship and chewing gum” for us too? The structure of Thomas Bach got stuck in the stretching of time, and here: hello, Russia has already arrived at the Asian Games and is competing.

What is it all for our athletes? There will be no selection for the Olympic Games at the Asian Games for Russians who could compete there. No quotas – no Paris 2024, there is no need to expect a wild card here. So the bubbles of illusion are bursting, and even the potential circle of admitted athletes, who in theory can reach Paris under all the conditions put forward, is getting narrower. The show trial has passed, “technical reasons” are part of the Olympic lexicon.