IOC considers sanctions for Russia, aims to avoid discrimination
Brady Knox
Video Embed
The International Olympic Committee said it is considering how to sanction Russia without outright discriminating against Russian athletes.
The IOC was responding to calls to completely ban all Russian and Belarusian athletes from the 2024 Paris summer Olympics. The calls came from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Western leaders such as United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.
The committee said there were plans for some sanctions against Russian athletes, but a total ban based on people’s country of origin would amount to outright discrimination, the Associated Press reported.
INTERNATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE WANTS RUSSIAN ATHLETES TO COMPETE IN 2024 GAMES
“There are no plans for a Russian or Belarusian delegation or the flags of these countries at the Olympic Games Paris 2024,” the IOC said. “The only option that could be considered are individual, neutral athletes like we have seen last year at the French Open in tennis and recently again at the Australian Open in tennis and in other professional sports.”
The IOC cited human rights experts in refusing a total ban, likely referring to a statement from the United Nations.
“The IOC recommendation raised serious issues of direct discrimination, because athletes should not be discriminated against on the basis on their nationality,” U.N. experts said.
“We understand the desire to support Ukrainian athletes and the Ukrainian Olympic community, who suffer terribly from the war, together with all other Ukrainians,” the experts continued. “But the Olympic Committee and more widely the Olympic community have also the compelling obligation to abide by the Olympic Charter, and more widely international human rights norms prohibiting discrimination.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
Zelensky publicly decried the apparent decision to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a neutral flag.
“There is no such thing as neutrality when a war like this is going on,” Zelensky said in a speech Friday.
“And we know how often tyrannies try to use sports for their ideological interests. It is obvious that any neutral flag of Russian athletes is stained with blood,” he said.