IOC Clears Path For Russian And Belarusian Athletes For Upcoming Olympic Games

The International Olympic Committee IOC clears path for Russian and Belarusian athletes for upcoming Olympic games.

"Major international sports events 'should be organized in the spirit of peace' and that 'the unifying and conciliative nature of such events should be respected'," according to the IOC.

One significant condition must be met before Russian and Belarusian athletes can once again compete under a neutral flag: "only athletes who fully respect the Olympic Charter would participate. This means in particular: first, only those who have not acted against the peace mission of the IOC by actively supporting the war in Ukraine could compete."

Therefore, international sports federations (in this case, UWW, the wrestling organization) "and/or the sports event organizer concerned should immediately remove them from the competition, suspend them from further competitions, and report the incident to the IOC for its consideration for further measures and sanctions" if an athlete were to publicly support the war.

Even though the IOC said it supported Ukraine and its athletes, IOC clears path for Russian and Belarusian athletes for upcoming Olympic games just days after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy publicly asked French President Emmanuel Macron to do what he could to stop them from going to the Games.

Olympic Summit

The leaders of all the stakeholder groups of the Olympic Movement and the International Paralympic Committee convened at the Olympic Summit on December 9, 2022, and unanimously adopted a set of conclusions that were discussed by the Executive Board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Following this Summit calls for consultation were held on January 17 and 19, 2023, with IOC Members, the international network of athletes' representatives, International Federations (IFs), and National Olympic Committees (NOCs).

During each consultation call, most of the people who took part said the following about the athletes who had Russian or Belarusian passports:

• Strong dedication to the Olympic Movement's unifying objective, urging and begging that it uphold this unifying mission, especially in these times of discord, hostility, and conflict.
• As stated in the Olympic Charter, respect the right of every athlete to receive equal treatment. Governments should not dictate which athletes may and cannot compete in a certain event.
• No athlete should be denied the opportunity to compete simply because of their passport.
• Therefore, more research should be done to find a means for sportsmen to compete under rigorous rules.

Conclusion

A multi-step plan was created by the International Olympic Committee in which IOC clears path for Russian and Belarusian athletes for upcoming Olympic games at the future 2024 Summer Games in Paris and the 2026 Winter Games in Milan.

The IOC declared that it would keep its sanctions against the state and government officials of Belarus and Russia in place and forbid athletic competitions organized by either country's federations.