Paris 2024, the war in Ukraine and the ghost of a boycott moving the world of Olympism

The whole world is waiting (or dreaming of) an end to Russian aggression Ukraine, the prolongation of the war is avoided and peace is restored. But, as long as the disappointments of put in and his acolytes, another ghost hangs over the Olympic movement: the possibility of a boycott of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

For this Friday, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine is summoned to its General Assembly, which will discuss a boycott in case the THAT IS -as he hinted a few days ago- open the doors to Russians and Belarusians at the next Games.

“We will consult with national associations and all interested parties on the possibility of a boycott,” he anticipated. Zhan Beleniuk, Ukrainian deputy and Olympic wrestling champion in Tokyo 2020 in the 87 kg category. And the Minister of Sport, Vady Guttsait, He spoke in the same vein through his social networks. Guttsait contacted by telephone with Thomas Bachpresident of the IOC, and told him that “Russian athletes are serving in their armed forces and they are killing our people.”

“If we are not listened to, I do not exclude the possibility that we will boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympic Games,” Beleniuk insisted.

Volodymyr Zelenskythe Ukrainian leader, has just sent an invitation to visit Bach Bakhmut, a city ravaged by war “and so that you can see for yourself that neutrality does not exist”. Hours earlier, Zelensky had communicated with the French president, Emmanuel Macronto manage their support and ensure that they will not allow Russians and Belarusians to attend Paris 2024.

These are the first reactions from Ukraine, after the IOC indicated that it was “exploring a path” to allow the participation of athletes from Russia AND Belarusian under a neutral flag. “We have a unifying mission as the Olympic Movement in these times of division, confrontation and war,” they said. And they clarified that “athletes will participate as ‘neutral’ and will not represent their state or another organization in their country in any way.”

But Bach had visited kyiv last July, promising that “Ukraine will not be alone with its problems. We are by their side, together with them. We support them with our hearts, souls, thoughts and deeds.”.

The IOC, in its new phase of “acceptance”, has argued that “no athlete should be prevented from competing solely because of a passport”. However, it has forgotten precedents of more than a century. For example, countries like Germany, Hungary, Austria, Bulgaria were banned from the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp for their role in WWI. The same thing happened with Germany and Japan in London (1948) after the Second World War. And South Africa was banned from the IOC between 1964 and 1992 for the policy of racial segregation.

Bach’s new gesture relaxation with Russia reminded us that in the last decade, when that country was sanctioned after discovering multiple cases of dopingthe IOC has allowed many of its athletes to continue participating in Olympic events under the slogans “Olympic Athletes of Russia” or “Olympic Committee of Russia”.

Duncan Mackay, the editor of the “insidethegames.biz” site – the most influential in the Olympic environment – said on reading the IOC statement that “is either incredibly naive or willfully dishonest. It is clear to me that the IOC can have Ukraine participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics, or they can have athletes from Russia. They can’t have both. Which do you decide to have? determine the future of the Olympic Movement”.

international organization Athletes for Ukraine and the association Global athlete filed a joint complaint against the IOC, saying it “supports Russia’s brutal war and invasion of Ukraine.” The return of Russian and Belarusian athletes to international competition, especially the 2024 Paris Olympics, will see the state Russian use athletes again for strengthen the war effort and divert attention from the atrocities in Ukraine in one of the largest multi-sports arenas in the world”.

The group is headed by Canadian rob koehlerformer deputy director of the World Anti-Doping Agency, who said: “Allowing the participation of Russians and Belarusians in the Games will strengthen the Russian propaganda machine, as well as empower the Putin regime and undermine the peace.”

Sports and Olympic leaders from countries such as Poland and the Baltic countries have already anticipated this will not support any admission of Russians and Belarusians to the Games.

Some international federations, such as the World Athletics federation, have been very firm in excluding Russia from competitions. Others, more permissive.

World Athletics It has maintained sanctions against Russia since 2015, when the terse McLaren report was released, denouncing the existence of a state doping system in that country. WA is chaired by former British athlete and two-time Olympic champion Sebastian Coappearing as a candidate to succeed Bach in the 2025 IOC election.

Ukrainian athletes were warmly welcomed and supported at the World Athletics Championships (indoors in Belgrade, outdoors in Oregon) last season and World Athletics set up a special fund to help prepare them. between them shone Yaroslav Mahuchikwho came to the fore in Buenos Aires during the 2018 Youth Olympic Games and who today has become the great world protagonist of the high jump.

But also Ukrainian sport, among its many deprivations, it suffers grief over the death of many of its elite representatives. Decathlon junior national champion Volodymyr Androschuk He has just died while defending the city of Bakhmut, which has been besieged by invaders for the past few weeks. Mountaineers also died at the front Alexander Zakolodny AND Griry Grigoriev and the skater Dmytro Sharparamong others.