IOC, after a year of war: “We want to see a strong Ukrainian team in Paris”

One year after Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine under the protection of Belarus, an event that marked the beginning of the War, the International Olympic Committee issued a statement in which it reaffirmed its repudiation of the Russian and Belarusian governments, whom it identified as “solely responsible”, and reiterated its “unwavering solidarity with Ukrainian athletes in every possible way”.

“The IOC condemned the senseless war in the strongest terms on the day of the invasion,” said the IOC, whose package of sanctions imposed in February 2022 and still in force included the prohibition of organizing sports competitions in warring nations and the impossibility of displaying flags, anthems and national symbols, in addition to not accrediting government authorities for international competitions.

The entity chaired by Bach explained that all the measures to support Ukrainian athletes, in addition to being humanitarian in nature, pursue the sporting objective of allowing them to present numerous and competitive delegations at the two immediate Olympic Games, Paris 2024 and Milan Cortina 2026. In this regard, he clarified that the Solidarity Fund for athletes from the nation led by Volodymir Zelenski was tripled in order for the “Olympic dream” to prosper.

Despite its commitment to encouraging dialogue and peace, the IOC realistically pointed out that “the Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts” or “address all political and social challenges”, although it argued that they should serve as an example to promote respect. To finalize the statement, the International Olympic Committee outlined a categorical message to all world leaders: “Give peace a chance.”

Currently, after the IOC stated that athletes should not be discriminated against solely because of the nationality of their passports, the global controversy revolves around the questioned concept of “neutrality” that would enable Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in Paris 2024 with funding from their States, a decision that more than 30 countries demanded that be reviewed and clarified.