February 28, (THEWILL) – Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the International Olympic Committee has proposed that all Russian and Belarussian athletes be barred from competing for their countries.
It puts pressure on the International Paralympic Committee ahead of the commencement of the Beijing Winter Games on Friday, while the IOC acknowledged in a statement that it may be too late to act, recommending it to “find its own way to effectively address the dilemma.”
The move means FIFA, which works in tandem with the IOC, will be urged to kick Russia out of World Cup qualification, notwithstanding Poland’s refusal to play the match, and UEFA will be urged to drop Russia from the Women’s Euro 2022 in England.
Russia and Belarus should not compete under their flag, according to the IOC, if athletes cannot be barred from competing. This is already the case with Russia due to recent doping scandals.
The Olympic Order, which honours contributions to the movement, has been revoked for “all persons who currently hold an important function in the Russian Federation’s government or other government-related high-ranking position,” including Vladimir Putin.
The IOC believes it had to go against its own ethics by banning Russia and Ukraine, claiming that the movement is normally “united in its sense of fairness not to punish athletes for the decisions of their governments,” but that the conflict in Ukraine has put it in a “dilemma.”
The IOC statement read, in part: “While athletes from Russia and Belarus would be able to continue to participate in sports events, many athletes from Ukraine are prevented from doing so because of the attack on their country.
“This is a dilemma which cannot be solved,” it concluded, before announcing its sanctions.
The IOC’s stance, as the world’s closest thing to a global sporting governing body, is likely to send shockwaves through sport. The IOC is known for making cautious decisions.
The Winter Paralympics will be the most pressing issue, with participants already arriving in Beijing’s “closed loop.” The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) is holding its own board meeting on Wednesday, but as the IOC has stated, it is trying to avoid a situation where Russians and Belarusians compete alongside Ukrainians and foreign athletes who oppose the war.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
