The IOC has clarified its position regarding the admission of Russian athletes to the Olympic Games

IOC President Thomas Bach said that no one will change the recommendations of strict criteria, headed by neutral status for Russia and Belarus. Bach took part in the General Assembly of the European Olympic Committee (EOC) in Istanbul. And, it seems, he decided to respond there in one sentence to all the accusations of discrimination by the IOC towards our athletes.

Our representatives did not come to Istanbul, commenting that they did not see the point in this. And very soon there will be a session of the IOC itself, which is scheduled for October 15-17 in Mumbai, India. Either they will decide the fate of our athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris 2024, or they won’t. There is no official deadline in this matter, unless you consider the beginning of the Games as such. True, then any decision will no longer be necessary at all.

There is no deadline, but Thomas Bach does not miss the opportunity to once again discuss his line of conduct towards Russia. In Istanbul, he did not hide the fact that he was responding to the reaction that the criteria recommended by the IOC were causing in our country: “There have been some comments from Russia regarding these conditions.” (And the comments can be expressed in one word: discrimination.) And he reiterated: “The conditions are not negotiable, we will not refuse them.”

A little earlier at the International Athletes Forum, denying the IOC’s use of double standards, Bach once again explained the IOC’s recommendations (first on the suspension, and then on the return of our athletes to international competitions, but with strict criteria and individually) by the beginning of the military conflict during the Olympic truce. And again he said that representatives of all countries would be able to compete in the Olympics. As for the neutral status for athletes from Russia and Belarus, this, Bach said, is the very solution found for everyone.

And he did not say, for example, that even this option, which we perceive so painfully, may be of a purely theoretical nature. Just last week, for example, the IOC announced that at this stage no individual neutral athletes are qualified to participate in the 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games. (The competition will be held from January 19 to February 1 in Gangwon-do, South Korea.)

And in fact, in its formulation and statement, the IOC was not even disingenuous. I just voiced the line that was read a long time ago. Didn’t qualify for the Olympics? – Free from them completely. Nobody forbids you to participate, but there are no points? So there is no reason to speak either. (The failure of international federations to make decisions on the admission of Russian athletes to competitions, even contrary to the recommendations of the IOC itself, and the failure to issue visas, does not bother anyone.)

After all, no one in the IOC officially made a specific decision “not to allow young athletes from Russia” to participate in the Youth Games. And since 2010, six Youth Olympics have already been held – three summer and three winter. Why ruin the history of the competition with politics? And even give someone a reason to reproach: are children being bullied (athletes from 15 to 18 years old)?

True, the world has already changed here too. And the scandals over the alleged admission of young Russian football players through UEFA show that there is no longer any division between young and old, there is only affiliation with the state. And, by the way, another clarification has just arrived from the International Hockey Federation: the decision to suspend applies to all Russian teams – regardless of the age and gender of the players. But even in a changed world, the IOC believes that it is better simply not to fence the garden: there is no access to qualifying competitions, and there is no right to the Games.

And the refusal to participate is thus: Russia will not be there, but the IOC itself is “in the house”, this is also part of the adult project of Paris 2024. The IOC has not announced plans for Russia at the Games. And he waits, and also plays out the same scenario with qualifying points: no body, no business, this is, they say, fate.

Yes, there is, for example, judo – both adults compete, gaining points, and juniors – the Junior World Championships have just ended in Portugal. There is a struggle – Serbia hosted the adult world championship, and the world championship for athletes under 23 will soon take place with our participation. Moreover, the UWW followed the protocol: Finland did not give visas to our young wrestlers, the championship was moved to Albania – the refusing country was deprived of the right to host it. So in the United World of Wrestling they showed that “they are neither for the whites nor for the reds,” the FSBR believes, clarifying: at the UWW technical committee this decision was met with applause.

But in other sports everything is not so good. For example, in the current realities, even world record swimmer Kliment Kolesnikov, whose fastest seconds are officially approved by the International Aquatics Federation, as well as record holder Evgenia Chikunova, must still meet the qualification standard for the Games at the competition. Anywhere, but not in Russia. There is no need to look for the logic of solutions. But this “anywhere” may not happen: the International Aquatics Federation is clearly not the organization that, due to the failure to issue visas to Russians, will rush to take the tournament away from the host country.

ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said after the organization’s just-held executive committee that he “potentially does not see a single Russian Olympian at the Games in Paris.” These words can be interpreted in different ways. (At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Sports previously even counted our possible participants in the Games: 180 people). And yet, “neutralized” athletes – this term is now increasingly heard – that is, those who have received neutral status to perform at international competitions may end up in Paris. But in theory. And today.