Did the IOC facilitate the qualification of Belarusian athletes for the Olympics?
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) supports the admission of Belarusian and Russian athletes to international competitions under a neutral flag. The statement was made by the organization’s head, Thomas Bach, on March 28 at a press conference after the IOC Executive Committee meeting. We are talking about individual tournaments and only those athletes who do not support the war in Ukraine and are not representatives of the military and law enforcement agencies.
Recall that in February 2022, after the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the IOC banned international federations from holding tournaments in the Russian Federation and Belarus and took “protective measures against athletes from these two countries.” What will the new recommendations change for Belarusians and which of them will be able to make it to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris?
How sports officials in Belarus reacted
At the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Belarus called the IOC recommendations an attempt to “correct last year’s discriminatory decision” and also stated that the bans “on wearing state symbols, participating in team competitions, belonging to law enforcement agencies are openly discriminatory”. The NOC also noted that “in making certain decisions” it will be guided by “the interests of the athletes themselves” and will not allow them to be “disdainful”.
The president of the Belarusian Athletics Federation, Ivan Tikhon, for his part, said that last year Belarusian athletes decided that they wanted to “perform only under their own flag” and informed the World Athletics Association about this. He considers “unacceptable” “some other conditions” because “they are a violation of the rights of an athlete and a person”.
BSSF says IOC criteria are vague
There are issues with the criteria of the IOC and the Belarus Sports Solidarity Fund (BSSF), which unites athletes advocating for democratic reforms in the Republic of Belarus. Anatoly Kotov, head of the BSSF’s international department, believes that the IOC, for example, should clarify what the “not supporting war” criterion means.
There are no specifics, in his opinion, in the requirement that athletes not serve in the army or public security bodies. “What day does he serve on, today, tomorrow? There are already enough cases in which they are fired retroactively”, argues the interlocutor. Kotov notes that there are many “athletes with straps” in Belarus: “When biathletes use straps, this is understandable. Rhythmic gymnastics with straps is fun.” The BSSF representative believes that most Belarusian athletes who can qualify for the Paris Olympics will not be able to pass this “filter”.
As for the withdrawal from competitions in team sports, according to Anatoly Kotov, the Republic of Belarus did not even have a “ghostly chance” to participate in the Olympics. There will be no athletes there either – the World Federation (World Athletics) decided not to allow Belarusian and Russian athletes to compete for the duration of the war in Ukraine.
There will also be few opponent athletes from Belarus
“There is a backbone of countries taking a more principled position on non-admission (of athletes. – Red.). We see fencing as an example, they don’t want to host competitions, including qualifying competitions,” adds Kotov. (The International Fencing Federation admitted Belarusians and Russians to tournaments in a neutral state, but Germany, Finland and Denmark canceled international competitions. – Ed.).
The BSSF representative suggests that Belarusian tennis players get a chance to compete at the Olympics. He also draws attention to the fact that so far there are no final decisions on Belarusian athletes from the international federations of rowing and rhythmic gymnastics.
“The national team, if such a team comes together under a neutral flag, will not be very big and its medal prospects are even smaller. The deprivation of competitive practice at the international level is having an effect,” says Kotov.
Few, most likely, will be in Paris and “free” athletes who do not support the Belarusian authorities. According to DW’s interlocutor, they, despite their position on the events in the Republic of Belarus after the 2020 elections and their attitude on the war in Ukraine,
“are in a very discriminated against position.” Some of them are now in “sports quarantine”, that is, they are moving from one sporting citizenship to another, which, according to Kotov, “could take years”.
Timanovskaya: “The IOC forgets about the rights of athletes like me”
This happened to the runner Kristina Timanovskaya, who could not participate in the qualifying competitions for the Olympics. Timanovskaya, who was persecuted by the Belarusian authorities, received Polish citizenship, but the transition to sports citizenship has not yet been completed. “There is no response from World Athletics. The IOC fights for the rights of Belarusian and Russian athletes, forgetting about the rights of athletes like me. They don’t even give us answers,” the runner does not hide her emotions.
She admits that she attended the Tokyo Olympics 10 years ago, in which she was actually not allowed to perform by sports officials of the Republic of Belarus. Now Kristina Timanovskaya is also preparing for the Games, although she does not know whether she will perform there. “I would like to ask the IOC this question”, says the athlete.
She is convinced that “only honest athletes who did not support the war” should be in the Olympics. “Those who have suffered under the regimes have the right to compete under a neutral banner, as many do not have time to change their sports citizenship on these terms,” Timanovskaya believes. “Red and green flag (state flag of the Republic of Belarus. – Ed.) for me became the banner of war and betrayal of the authorities, blood and murder, I would never act under such a banner.
For his part, Anatoly Kotov says that the BSSF is working so that the criterion for admission to international competitions is “not silence, but expression” on the part of athletes of their civil position, so that athletes who do not support the regime of Alexander Lukashenko have a chance to participate in the selection for the Olympics in a neutral way, without the adoption of sports citizenship.
Source: DW
Anna White is a journalist at 247 News Reel, where she writes on world news and current events. She is known for her insightful analysis and compelling storytelling. Anna’s articles have been widely read and shared, earning her a reputation as a talented and respected journalist. She delivers in-depth and accurate understanding of the world’s most pressing issues.