Thomas Bach, President of the IOC, made the decision on November 29 in Paris. This decision was ultimately unsurprising to many as the IOC, based in Lausanne, had been working for months to outline the conditions for the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus, who had been banned due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
However, the timing of the decision has been surprising. The IOC seemed resistant to international pressure to state its position earlier in the year. This delay ended when Thomas Bach announced the decision two days before the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights at the UN.
The IOC announced in March that strict conditions would be placed on the admission of the athletes, including competing as individuals, without representing any national symbols and must not actively support the war in Ukraine or have contracts with military or national security agencies in their respective countries.
The decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate under a neutral flag was met with strong condemnation from Ukraine. The Ukrainian Minister of Sports called it an “irresponsible decision” and stated that the neutrality of athletes would be seen as complicity with the aggressors.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also accused the members of the IOC executive committee of encouraging Russia and Belarus to continue their armed aggression against Ukraine. However, the final decision on whether Ukraine will participate in the Paris Games or not has not been made.
This decision has raised concerns over the potential use of athletes as propaganda tools and weapons in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia. It remains to be seen if other countries and organizations will follow suit in terms of allowing participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in future events.
