Ever since the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there has been political unrest from the international community. The countries and organisations supporting Ukraine and blaming Russia for war crimes had to act accordingly. In times of war, there is always the responsibility of allied nations to take a stance and act in agreement to their foreign policy in ensuring not only they are protected but their allies are supported in times of war. From the multiple strategies that can give effect in times of war, sports has always played a great role in the political sphere and with the 2024 Olympics approaching, there is a need to look at how there are political implications of whether to ban or not to ban Russia from the games.
The games will be hosted in France and as of now the country is already preparing to hold the Olympics, treating the situation on a rather candid note working through security programs to ensure that there are no attacks on an event that is highly symbolic and showcased to the whole world live. The Olympics always bring forward a form of pressure on the hosting country, by having to provide a great spectacle for many to enjoy, ensure necessary security measures are taken and now guarantee the safeguard of a political sphere. There has been growing discussion on whether Russia and Belarus should be denied the chance to participate in the Olympic games, and therefore be banned. Already within France there is the intent to ban Russia as the Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo has shown hostility towards the idea of their participation as she has expressed “For as long as this war goes on, this Russian aggression on Ukraine, it’s not possible to parade as if nothing was happening, to have a delegation arriving in Paris, while bombs are raining on Ukraine,”[1] France as shown to be a big supporter of Ukraine, with delivery of not only humanitarian aid but also military tanks to fight against the invasion, as the host country this would be contradictory to current behaviour.
The prime reason for a ban would be that sanctions against Russia should remain intact. Sanctions are legal sanctions that must be followed thoroughly to ensure there is another method to drain out a war and seek peace. With a prolonged economic sanction, there are greater chances to stop military aggression. In recent years, both Russia and Belarus have been banned from taking part in many sport events. With an attempt to keep things this way, Ukrainian President Zelensky, urged the International Olympics Committee (IOC) to make certain that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not take part in the Summer Olympics. He made a public announcement that if Russia would be able to participate, then Ukraine would boycott the games and that this means that the IOC is condoning violence as anything shorter than a ban would signify that terror is acceptable. This is a statement that calls the action of all international delegates and relevant institutions to take the necessary steps to show support to Ukraine.
In response to this political resistance, the Committee holds the view that the games should not be politicised and opened the door for the Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag. According to the Olympian Charter, there is no need to punish athletes for their government’s decisions, the emphasis is on constant sports neutrality. When Russia was banned from the Olympics in 2014 it was directly linked to the athletes due to the doping scandal. Nevertheless, this is a different situation as there is no direct link to the athletes, thus there should be no form of punishment towards them, but the chance to compete would still be through a set of requirements. For example, these athletes will have extensive background checks, will not be able to sing their national anthem, nor wave their flags. This is clearly the intrinsic part of allowing a neutral participation ensuring that the athletes are not punished from their government’s actions. Regrettably, this becomes a clear dismissal of national representation that the Olympics have carried as a core value from its beginning, will such athletes not want to show their national pride?
Unfortunately, there was a firm persistence on as it allowed the participation of athletes but crippled any chance of having them wave their flag in any win. Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland were publicly against Russia joining the event as they have been strong supporters of Ukraine. There is enforcement to not have sports seen as war propaganda. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, made a statement that Estonia would boycott the games if Russia was allowed to participate. Also, the Polish Sports Minister has held a strong stance against the involvement of Russian athletes in the games by having Russia banned from the 2024 Olympics. There is an effort from Poland to create a coalition of more than 40 countries to boycott the games in order to prevent Russia’s participation. It is no surprise that sanctions carry economic impact to the receiving country, this ends up affecting even citizens, it is a common practice and all the consequences are understood for sanctioning parties that it is the best course of action to deter Russian aggression.
One can look at how in a different time the Olympics were held in Nazi Germany and at the end countries who did not agree with the regime were still participating on it, would this not be a similar case where there would be a separation of sports and politics? Or a more recent event with Qatar holding the world cup whilst suffering incredible criticism due to human rights violations. There was clear statements against making Qatar the host which yet the countries did not make a stance towards boycotting as Presidential appearances were highly noticeable during the games. This to say that, a blind eye was turned at the end. There is a point where turning the blinding eye to aggressors cannot continue.
As it stand, the IOC is put in a tight spot, but also are supporting countries of the Ukraine. They have to show solidarity as the consequences of this war has affected too many lives to get an exception to become part once more of games build upon the base of respect, solidarity and honesty between players.
[1] https://www.francetvinfo.fr/les-jeux-olympiques/paris-2024/paris-2024-anne-hidalgo-ne-souhaite-pas-d-athletes-russes-tant-qu-il-y-a-la-guerre-en-ukraine_5645300.htmlBy The European Institute for International Law and International Relations.
