"We have strong concerns" - 35 countries urge IOC to ban Russia from 2024 Paris Olympics

The 2024 Paris Olympics is quickly approaching. It is set to be held from July 26, 2024 to August 11, 2024. The athletes have started preparing for the event. Qualifying games for several sports are already underway.

Russia is currently banned from the Olympics, but its athletes can compete in the event under the banner of the Russian Olympic Committee. At present, several countries have opposed the participation of the Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympics and they have also been banned from other competitions by sporting federations due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine and Belarus' support in the attack.

The IOC (International Olympic Committee) has come under heavy criticism for trying to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions and the Olympics under a neutral flag.

On Monday, February 20, 2023, a letter signed by the government of 35 nations was released asking the IOC to clarify the definition of neutrality. The IOC was also asked to come up with a plan for the athletes so that they can compete as neutrals or ban them from competing completely.

The following statement was presented in the letter:

"We have strong concerns on how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as 'neutrals' – under the IOC’s conditions of no identification with their country – when they are directly funded and supported by their states (unlike, for example, professional tennis players)."

Government officials had also mentioned in the letter how sports and politics are closely entwined in Russia and Belarus. They have stated how this complicates any justifiable idea for the athletes to compete.

"As long as these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable 'neutrality' model are not addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition."

The countries seem to be concrete in their decision regarding this issue. Some of the countries that signed the letter were the United States, Great Britain, Canada, France, and Germany. These countries brought in nearly one-fifth of all the athletes at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, according to NBC Sports.

Flag bearers Sofya Velikaya and Maxim Mikhaylov of Team ROC lead their team in during the Opening Ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games

The letter further said,

"The strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also of clear concern. Our collective approach throughout has therefore never been one of discrimination simply on the basis of nationality, but these strong concerns need to be dealt with by the IOC."

According to SwimSwam, the letter came to fruition after a summit in London on February 10 between the government leaders who heard from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The president remained adamant that Russian and Belarusian athletes shouldn't be allowed at the games as long as the invasion continues.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy said,

"While Russia kills and terrorizes, representatives of the terrorist state have no place at sports and Olympic competitions. And it cannot be covered up with some pretended neutrality or a white flag. Because Russia is now a country that stains everything with blood — even the white flag. It must be recognized. And this must be recognized, in particular, at the level of the International Olympic Committee. The International Olympic Committee needs honesty. Honesty it has unfortunately lost. Honesty that will help stop Russian terror and bring peace closer."

The above statements were made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, according to SwimSwam. The countries that have signed the letter are mentioned below:

"Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United States."

The IOC will be looking to arrive at a solution for the ongoing issue.

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International Olympic Committee releases statement in response to the letter released by the group of nations

President of the IOC Thomas Bach speaks during the World Athletics Championships Oregon22

The IOC released the following statement on the official website of the Olympics in response to a letter released by a group of nations:

"The IOC appreciates the constructive questions with regard to the definition of the neutrality of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport, while noting that the explicit human rights concerns expressed by two Special Rapporteurs of the United Nations Human Rights Council have not been addressed in the statement."

According to SwimSwam, Thomas Bach, the president of the IOC, has said that the IOC has stood in solidarity with Ukraine's athletes. He also declared that sports have to respect the human rights of all athletes.