Governments from more than 30 countries issued a letter on Monday calling on the IOC to clarify the definition of ‘neutrality’ as it seeks a way to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international sports and, ultimately, the Games Paris Olympics next year.
“Until these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a working ‘neutrality’ model are resolved, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed to return to competition” , reads the letter, which was obtained by The Associated Press before its wider circulation.
Among the signers of the letter were officials from the United States, Britain, France, Canada and Germany. These five countries have brought almost a fifth of all athletes to the Tokyo Games in 2021.
The letter was the product of a February 10 summit in London between heads of government, which heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Zelenskyy said Russian athletes have no place at the Paris Games as long as the country’s invasion of Ukraine continues.
The International Olympic Committee is trying to find a way to allow Russians to participate in the Olympics, citing the opinion of United Nations human rights experts who believe that Russians and Belarusians should not be victims of discrimination simply for the passports they hold. The IOC wants competitors from countries that did not support the war to be able to compete as neutral athletes, with no symbols of their country allowed.
While acknowledging there was a case for them to compete as neutral athletes, government officials noted in the joint letter how closely sport and politics are intertwined in Russia and Belarus. Russia invaded Ukraine a year ago on Friday and Belarus has been Russia’s closest ally.
“We have strong concerns about the ability of Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as ‘neutrals’ – under the conditions of the IOC not identifying with their country – when directly funded and supported by their states (unlike, say, professional tennis players),” the letter reads. “The strong ties and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also an obvious concern. Our collective approach has therefore never been one of discrimination based simply on nationality, but these strong concerns must be addressed by the IOC.”
Last week, IOC President Thomas Bach said the IOC stands in solidarity with Ukrainian athletes, but also that sport must respect the human rights of all athletes.
“History will tell who does the most for peace. Those who try to keep lines open, to communicate, or those who want to isolate or divide,” Bach said.
Also last week, European Union lawmakers condemned the IOC’s efforts to reintegrate Russia into world sport. The European Parliament has called on the 27 member states to pressure the IOC to reverse its decision and said the Olympic body’s approach was “a disgrace to the international sporting world”.
Monday’s letter, while calling for clarity from the IOC, said the quickest way for Russia to return to the international sporting scene would be “to end the war they started”.
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More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
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