Seven months before the start of the Paris Olympics, the International Olympic Committee on December 8 finally confirmed its position to allow athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports compete as “neutrals”.
However, not all sports on the 2024 programme will adhere to this decision, and athletics is at the forefront.
“You may well see some neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus in Paris, but they just won’t be in from athletics,” World Athletics President Seb Coe said after the IOC’s decision.
VERY LIMITED NUMBER
The IOC said there are eight Russians and three Belarusians among 4,600 athletes across the world who have so far qualified for the Summer Games, which opens on July 26 next year.
Russian and Belarusian teams cannot participate in the Games but individual athletes who prove that they have not supported the war in Ukraine, can compete with no flags, emblems or anthems allowed.
Russia was able to send 335 athletes to the Tokyo Olympics, which took place in 2021, in spite of similar sanctions. But such a large number is very unlikely in Paris.
“Only a very limited number of athletes will qualify through the existing qualification systems of the (governing bodies),” the IOC said in a statement.
Russian and Belarusian athletes were largely shut out from global sport for the most part of last year following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and Belarus assisting in the attack.
PATHWAY FOR REINSTATEMENT
This year, 2023 has seen many sports governing bodies allowing them back into international competitions as neutral athletes in line with the March 28 recommendations issued by the IOC. The Olympic body opened a pathway for the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes but it is entirely up to the international federations to decide whether or not to follow.
No athlete should be punished for the actions of their governments, according to the IOC. The Olympic body banned Russian or Belarusian government or state officials from attending the Games.
The participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at Paris 2024 has been one of the most contentious debates in the lead-up to the Games.
WEIGHING THE PROS AND CONS
Ukrainian athletes and officials, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, have constantly insisted on a blanket ban on Russia and Belarus. Speaking on national television a day after the IOC announced its decision, Matviy Bidnyi, Ukraine’s minister of youth and sport, said they “will weigh the pros and cons very carefully” before deciding if to take part in next year’s Olympics.
“The decision to participate should be made based on what it will bring to the country, what the reaction will be and how much it will bring us closer to victory,” Bidnyi said.
“We should not make rash decisions. It will be a balanced decision and we have to communicate it to the public. We will weigh the pros and cons very carefully.”
He added: “If we continue to see the absolutely non-constructive position of the IOC, to continue to tolerate the participation of the henchmen of the bloody (Russian) regime, this will make our participation impossible.”
“DISCRIMINATORY”
Russia’s Sports Minister, Oleg Matytsin, described the “strict conditions” set by the IOC for Russian athletes’ participation at the Olympics as “discriminatory”.
“The conditions are discriminatory, they are going against the principles of sport,” said the Russian sports minister, Oleg Matytsin.
“They are damaging the Olympic Games themselves, and not Russian sport. The approach is unacceptable.”
Below is an overview of the situation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 32 sports on the Paris 2024 Olympic programme:
TEAM SPORTS
The IOC banned Russia and Belarus from taking part in team sports at Paris 2024, meaning they cannot compete in football, basketball, volleyball, field hockey, handball, rugby sevens at the Games. They are also excluded from “team events in individual sports” like relay races or the team all-around in gymnastics.
SURFING
The International Surfing Association (ISA) kept its ban on Russian surfers in line with the IOC’s decision to ban teams from the country.
“ISA events are competitions with qualified teams who are entered by their national surfing federations,” read an ISA statement.
“There is no provision in the ISA rule book for the participation of individuals outside their national teams, including for World Surfing Games and other events that play a part in athlete qualification for the Olympic Games via their National Olympic Committees.”
The ISA does not currently have a member federation from Belarus.
BOXING
As was the case at the last summer Olympics, the IOC is in charge of Olympic boxing in Paris.
The European Games held from June 23 to July 2 in Krakow, Poland served as a qualifying tournament for the Games but the host nation did not allow Russian athletes.
However two World Qualification Tournaments will take place between February and June 2024.
ATHLETICS
World Athletics has maintained its decision to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus from competitions since March 2022.
“I think it’s right that international federations should make judgements that they feel are in the best interests of their sport and that’s what our council has done. Ours is a settled position. We’ve made the judgement that there will be no fully fledged or even neutral status athletes there,” Coe said.
The World Athletics Council established a working group to advise and recommend the conditions that would need to be met for the restrictions on Athletes and Officials from Russia and Belarus to be lifted.
SAILING
A ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is also still in place at World Sailing, which set April 2024 as the “targeted opportunity” for sailors from both countries to return to international competitions as neutrals.
“With regards to Olympic qualification, the Semaine Olympique Française (SOF), is an event at this time and presents opportunities for sailors with a Russian or Belarusian passport to compete as individual neutrals in qualifying for Paris 2024,” the governing body stated in May.
AQUATICS
On September 4, World Aquatics Bureau unanimously approved a set of criteria that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes participate in World Aquatics competitions as neutrals. The aquatics body established that the neutral athletes can only compete in individual events.
“A maximum of one Neutral Individual Athlete from Russia and one from Belarus per event will be allowed to compete at World Aquatics competitions,” it added. The eligibility criteria will be implemented by the independent Aquatics Integrity Unit.
GYMNASTICS
“By accepting Russian and Belarusian gymnasts to participate in competitions as independent neutral athletes, the FIG is ensuring that the rights of all athletes are respected and is sending a message to the world that Gymnastics is seeking peace,” said FIG President Morinari Watanabe after the gymnastics body’s EC authorised the participation of athletes from both countries in FIG sanctioned events from January 1, 2024.
However, on December 1, “the General Assembly of European Gymnastics has voted against allowing athletes and officials from Russia and Belarus to return to official European Gymnastics competitions from 1 January 2024 onwards, thus not following the FIG decision,” the governing body of gymnastics in Europe said in a statement.
This calls into question how the Russian and Belarusian athletes could qualify for next year’s Olympics.
JUDO
The International Judo Federation in April decided to allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in IJF events as individual neutral athletes, saying it will engage an independent, reputable company to perform background checks on all the individuals proposed for participation.
“This decision allows the possibility for fair participation and equal chances to all judo athletes who are pursuing their Olympic dreams,” said the IJF.
But the decision also led to Ukraine boycotting the judo world championships.
TAEKWONDO AND FENCING
Ukraine also boycotted the world championships in taekwondo and some individual events at the fencing world championships because Russians and Belarusians were allowed to compete.
WEIGHTLIFTING
In May, Russian weightlifters blew their chances of competing at Paris 2024 after failing to comply with the IWF’s eligibility criteria to take part in the qualifying programme. Some Belarusian athletes were cleared to participate as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN).
The IWF said in a statement, “No signed declarations were received from athletes or support personnel with a Russian passport by the end of the established deadline (May 15, 2023).
“Therefore, AIN lifters and related staff with Russian passports lost the opportunity to enter the upcoming IWF event in Cuba.”
CANOEING
The ICF voted in April to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as neutral athletes under special conditions but “introduced a paragraph where organisers can refuse participation if they cannot ensure the security of athletes and competition,” according to the International Canoe Federation (ICF) President Thomas Konietzko.
ROWING
World Rowing authorised the reinstatement of Russian and Belarusian athletes only for a selected number of boat classes.
WRESTLING
Out of the 235 applications the UWW said it received from individuals from Russia and Belarus for its World Championships in Belgrade in September, 30 were denied “due to either active support of the ongoing war or confirmed membership in military or national security agencies”.
However, three Russian Olympic who allegedly participated in a pro-war rally last year were among those allowed to compete. The wrestling body in a statement said “their participation in certain events is not (of) their own will.”
EQUESTRIAN
The FEI in November agreed to “allow future participation of Russian and Belarusian Athletes, Horses and Officials as neutrals.”
The conditions and timeline for implementation are expected to be approved this month.
SPORT CLIMBING
In June, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) decided to start a process for the reinstatement of athletes holding Russian or Belarusian passports as neutral athletes starting from 2024. Russian or Belarusian athletes will be “required to obtain neutral licences as a precondition to register themselves to IFSC events from 2024.”
ARCHERY
In July, World Archery said: “Since the procedure for assessing neutrality has not yet been agreed by the federations in Russia and Belarus, it is unlikely that athletes holding the passport of either nation will return to the field of play at a world competition in 2023.”
BADMINTON
On August 30, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) announced its decision to reinstate athletes from Russia and Belarus as Individual Neutral Athletes starting from February 26, 2024.
On November 11, the BWF suspended the membership of the National Badminton Federation of Russia (NBFR) for including within its jurisdiction the Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia. As a result the BWF said it will allow players with Russian passports to register their interest to participate in BWF-sanctioned tournaments directly.
SKATEBOARDING
Russian and Belarusian who acquire the “Individual Neutral Athlete” status from World Skate will be eligible to compete in the World Skate sanctioned events from January 1, 2024, including events in the Paris 2024 Olympic skateboarding qualification pathway.
OTHER SPORTS
The following sports bodies have also allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes return to international competitions: World Triathlon, International Golf Federation, Union Cycliste Internationale, World Dance Sport Federation, Union Internationale de Pentathlon Moderne, The International Shooting Sport Federation and International Table Tennis Federation.
TENNIS
Among the Olympic sports, only tennis did not exclude Russian or Belarusian players after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. From the start, the International Tennis Federation announced the suspension of the Russian Tennis Federation and Belarus Tennis Federation from ITF membership and from participation in ITF international competitions until further notice. But stated that individual players can compete as neutral athletes.
The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) fined tournaments that imposed restrictions, like Wimbledon. Russian and Belarusian players can’t take part in national team competitions like the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup.
Credit: AIPS Media
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