Russia's path to 2024 Olympics takes shape, Ukraine objects
Russia's path to sending a team to the Paris Olympics next year became clearer on Thurs‐ day amid fierce objections from Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee indicated on Wednesday it favors officially neutral teams from Russia and its ally Belarus at the 2024 Olympics despite a plea from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exclude them en‐ tirely.
A day later, Russia and Belarus were invited to compete at the Asian Games, a key Olympic qualifier.
Russia typically competes as part of Europe but has a tense relationship with many of the countries set to host qualifying events there. Russia and Belarus have been barred from almost all international competitions in Olympic sports following the in‐ vasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskyy has said he told French President Emmanuel Macron, whose country is host‐ ing the Olympics, that Russia should have "no place" there. Ukraine is seeking to rally sup‐ port against the IOC‐brokered plan.
"IOC has been disregarding Russian war crimes, claiming that 'No athlete should be pre‐ vented from competing just be‐ cause of their passport', while Ukrainian athletes continue to be killed by Russia because of their passports. I urge all sports figures to make their stance known," Foreign Minister
Dmytro Kuleba wrote on Twit‐ ter on Thursday.
Ukraine boycotted an Olympic qualifier in judo last year when Russians were allowed to com‐ pete as neutrals.
In Russia, there was praise from the IOC plan from Igor Lev‐ itin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin who holds influ‐ ential government and sports posts.
"I think it is already a success. Olympic society understands that the Olympic Games cannot be staged without Russia," said Levitin, who is the senior vice‐ president of the Russian Olympic Committee, in com‐ ments reported by state news agency Tass.
Some Russian officials ex‐ pressed unhappiness at the IOC declaring it would not allow ath‐ letes found to be "actively sup‐ porting the war in Ukraine." Russian Olympic Committee president Stanislav Pozdnyakov said on Wednesday he opposed "any restrictions, extra require‐ ments or sanctions."
The IOC statement on Wednes‐ day referenced the civil war in the former Yugoslavia at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. The country was under United Nations sanctions so Yugoslav athletes were allowed to com‐ pete individually only as "Inde‐ pendent Olympic Participants." They didn't take part in team sports such as soccer and bas‐ ketball.
That would be stricter than previous IOC measures against
Russia in the years‐long fallout from one of the largest doping cases in sports history. Russians competed under the name "Olympic Athlete from Russia" at the 2018 Winter Olympics and as ROC — short for Russian Olympic Committee — in 2021 and 2022, without their coun‐ try's anthem or flag but with na‐ tional colors on uniforms.
The Asian Games will be in Hangzhou, China, in September and October, and function as Olympic qualifiers in several sports including archery and boxing. Some other sports host their own Asia‐specific qualify‐ ing competitions.
"The OCA believes in the unify‐ ing power of sport and that all athletes, regardless of their na‐ tionality or the passport they hold, should be able to compete in sports competitions," the OCA said in a statement.
The long‐time director general of Kuwait‐based OCA, Husain al‐ Musallam, is also the president of World Aquatics, which is overseeing the core Olympic sport of swimming in the IOC home city Lausanne.
"The OCA has offered to give eligible Russian and Belarusian athletes the opportunity to take part in competitions in Asia, in‐ cluding the Asian Games," the organization said.
The OCA added it "remains on standby" until the IOC and the individual sports' governing bodies finalize the conditions for Russia and Belarus to com‐ pete.