“Cannot prevent wars,” IOC reiterates that it cannot help stop the Russia-Ukraine war upon one-year mark of the Russian invasion
The IOC has attracted some negative attention from the international community for their soft stance on Russian and Belarusian athletes.
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Credits: The Telegraph
February 24 marks one year since Russia invaded Ukraine with assistance from Belarus in 2022. This full-scale war has consumed many lives since then and has also been condemned internationally. Furthermore, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) also condemned Russia for its actions and responded by planning to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Paris Olympics 2024.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested the international community to strictly enforce this ban for the upcoming Olympics. He reiterated this statement in his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron earlier this month.
The IOC, however, has announced that they are looking for different pathways for athletes to return to the sport. This comes under conditions of strict neutrality and disassociation from Russian and Belarusian official symbols. This move, however, sparked a threat of boycott from the Ukrainian Olympic committee over the presence of Russians and Belarusians.
Related: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky internationally condemns the IOC as a ‘promoter of war’
IOC remains neutral in its stance on the Russo-Ukraine war
The IOC, through its statements, has put the international community in a difficult standpoint. While over 36 countries stand together in a coalition to prevent Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Olympics, the IOC is of the opinion that the athletes can be considered to participate under a neutral banner.
It is important to note that Russia was already banned from the Olympics following a state-sponsored drug scandal. The Russian athletes participated in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics under the banner of the Russian Olympics Committee and not the official Russian flag.
The IOC, in its statement, stands for peace-building and better bridge-building measures to stop the conflict from escalating further. In their statement, IOC adds, “A competition with athletes who respect the Olympic Charter can serve as a catalyst for dialogue, which is always a first step to achieving peace. The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another.”
The United States Olympic Committee also stands with the statement of the IOC on allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate as neutral candidates. On the one-year mark of the painful and disastrous invasion of Ukraine, the IOC reiterates the message, “Give Peace a Chance” to all its member nations and political entities involved.
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Siddid Dey Purkayastha
(528 Articles Published)