the delicate question of the return of Russian athletes, between neutral banner and boycott threats

As the war in Ukraine continues to rage, should Russian and Belarusian athletes be allowed to compete in the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympic Games? In a sports competition which claims its apoliticism, the question turns out to be delicate. If the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has raised the idea of ​​a return of athletes under a neutral banner, several countries have already come out against it, and some are threatening a boycott.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in late February 2022, Russians and Belarusians have been banned from most global sporting events – including last fall. Ukraine wants things to stay that way. During a phone call with Emmanuel Macron at the end of January, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thus affirms to have ” particularly insisted on the fact that Russian athletes should not have their place at the Paris Olympics”.

But the subject remains complex: political neutrality is indeed part of the Olympic charter and one of the foundations of Olympism. In order not to penalize Russian athletes because of Moscow’s political decisions, the IOC proposed a roadmap at the end of January to organize the return of banned athletes under a neutral flag, provided that they had not “not actively supported the war in Ukraine”. “No athlete should be banned from competition on the basis of their passport alone”said the Committee.

Behind this proclamation of principle, a series of behind-the-scenes maneuvers were initiated last fall to bring Russians and Belarusians back into the fold of Olympism, excluded from most international competitions since the invasion of Ukraine.

The United States in favor of a neutral banner

The proposal particularly satisfied the United States. If athletes are invited to an international sporting event such as the Olympics, “it must be absolutely clear that they do not represent the Russian or Belarusian states”White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday. “The use of Russian and Belarusian flags, emblems or anthems must also be prohibited. »

At the end of January, the mayor of Paris, where the Games will be held, also showed herself in favor of a return under a neutral banner: “Athletes should not be deprived of their competition, but I think and I plead, like a large part of the sports movement, for there to be no delegation under the Russian banner”said Anne Hidalgo on France 2.

President Emmanuel Macron, who had called in particular not to “politicizing sports” against a backdrop of controversy surrounding the organization of the Football World Cup in Qatar, has not yet spoken on the issue.

The president of the Organizing Committee of the 2024 Olympics Tony Estanguet said this Friday, February 3, to wait for the final decision of the IOC and considered that the athletes should not “suffer the consequences of decisions that do not concern them”.

Other countries had however castigated the IOC’s initiative, such as Great Britain and Denmark, the British Minister of Culture also in charge of Sports, considering in particular that it was “far removed from the realities of war”

boycott threats

Ukraine has already raised the threat of a boycott in the event of the participation of Russian athletes in the Games. But it is not the only one: it is supported in particular by the Baltic countries and Poland, Latvia warning in particular that it does not ” participate[ait] not at the Games alongside the aggressor country”.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told reporters on Friday that “The participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes is just bad. The boycott is therefore the next step.. She accused Moscow of using sport as a ” propaganda tool and to have “killed hundreds of Ukrainian athletes, including Olympic champions and world champions”. She believes that the other states must be convinced not to let the Russians and Belarusians compete.

At his side, his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte, shared this point of view, declaring to the press that the boycott “may not be as impressive as the outright exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes”which she called“preferred option”.

Polish Sports Minister Kamil Bortniczuk also told the Polish news agency PAP on Friday that the boycott of the Olympics would be “the strongest card and a last resort”. He had previously said he expected “a very firm position” at a meeting scheduled for February 10 with representatives from 40 countries. “I would give the IOC a chance to think things through without putting them up against the wall with such strong alternatives at this time. »

Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday thanked the nations opposing the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, who “would legitimize criminal aggression against Ukraine”. “We will not let sport be used […] for war propaganda”he said on Twitter.