Almost two years after the invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s reentry into the sports world could potentially cause the biggest rift in the Olympic movement since the Cold War. Many international sporting events continue to exclude Russia, but that could change. Although not everyone supports it, the International Olympic Committee, or IOC, is working to reinstate athletes from Russia in competition.
Russia has lost both the right to host events and the right to participate in them for the past year due to its continued exclusion from many international sporting events. The IOC recommended banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions just four days after the first Russian tanks entered Ukraine “to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all participants,” according to The Associated Press. This, however, may alter soon. The IOC has shifted its focus as the 2024 Paris Olympics approaches. To avoid discrimination against anyone based on nationality, they have made it possible for Russians to compete as neutral athletes without carrying any flags or wearing national colors, emphasizing that the Olympics were not able to exclude athletes and foster division.
The return of Russian athletes to international competition, especially in the future Olympics, is fiercely opposed by Ukraine. Athletes from Ukraine claim that more than 220 of them have died in the conflict, and hundreds of sports venues are in ruins, creating a reference to examples from the past, such as the exclusion of Germany and Japan from the 1948 Olympics following World War II.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, said this month at a summit of sports ministers and officials from more than 30 countries, “It’s just a matter of time before the terrorist state forces them to play along with the war propaganda if, God forbid, the Olympic principles are destroyed and Russian athletes are allowed to participate in any competitions or the Olympic Games.” He clearly indicates his displeasure with the current situation he is put in and refuses to submit to the “terrorist state”.
In protest against playing Russian athletes, a Ukrainian fencing team has been publicly spotted holding up a sign during a tournament in Egypt that reads, “Stop Russia! Stop the war! Save Ukraine! Save Europe!”, indicating their refusal to compete against Russia. Ukrainian opposition to Russian participation continues to be vociferous, despite the fact that 34 nations have officially declared their opposition to it. Clearly, the tensions between the countries have spread to sports and are affecting the industry, thus creating a dilemma. One of the main barriers preventing a Russian return to sports is Ukraine’s insistence that it could boycott rather than take a chance on giving its adversary a propaganda victory or further traumatizing Ukrainian athletes affected by the war. If Russians are allowed to compete, other European nations have also expressed their intention to boycott the Olympics.
Russian athletes have either been excluded from most sporting events since the start of the Russia-Ukraine War or have had to compete as “neutral” athletes. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there have been ongoing tensions that have no sign of ending. Beyond the front lines, the effects of the war are still prominent, and sports are not exempt from this.
