KIEV. “Ukrainian decathlete Volodymyr Androshtshuk will not represent his country at the Paris Olympics, as he was recently killed by Russian forces. In other news, the International Olympic Committee announces that Russian athletes are welcome in Paris.”
This is what a well-known American historian and author wrote on Twitter on February 1 Timothy Snyder. After that, the tweet with the translation spread like wildfire in Ukraine, because it perfectly reflects the feelings of Ukrainians.
At the end of January, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced its intention to investigate the criteria by which Russian and Belarusian athletes could return to international competitions.
For example, the condition for participation has been that the athlete has not publicly supported Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. In addition to that, the athletes accepted to the games would not represent Russia or Belarus, but would compete without badges.
There is a real media and social media campaign in Ukraine against this decision.
An image spread online where the Olympic rings are painted red and inside each one there is a word related to the war (rape, killing, torture, kidnapping, terrorism) and the name of a Ukrainian city affected by the war. In one video, a Russian shooter aims at the goal in the games, and next, pictures of people killed and tortured in the neighboring cities of Kyiv are shown.
The slogan of the online campaign is “Russia’s white flag belongs on the battlefield, not the Olympics”. In the international traditions of warfare, raising a white flag means surrender.
The same idea of a neutral white flag was presented by the President of Ukraine in his own speech Volodymyr Zelenskyi:
– There is no such thing as neutrality when a war like this is going on. We know how often tyrannies try to use sport for their ideological purposes. It is obvious that any neutral flag carried by Russian athletes is stained with blood.
Advisor to Zelenskyi Mihailo Podoljak was much more pointed and made the accusations directly to the International Olympic Committee.
– The IOC is a promoter of war, killing and destruction. The IOC watches with satisfaction as Russia destroys Ukraine, and then provides Russia with a venue to promote genocide and encourage more killings. Apparently, the Russian money used to buy Olympic duplicity does not smell like blood. Isn’t that right, Mr. Bach? wrote (you are switching to another service) Podoljak on twitter.
Chairman of the IOC Thomas Bach receives much of the criticism from the Ukrainians on this issue. The IOC publicly denied Podoljak’s accusations, saying that such rhetoric cannot be the basis for a constructive debate.
“Sports is politics”
Among the loudest opponents of the return of Russian athletes is a Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler and a member of the Ukrainian Parliament Zhan Belenyuk, 32. He is a multiple Olympic medalist and world and European champion. In 2014, he wrestled gold at the European Championships in Vantaa.
According to Belenjuk, there are no reasons for Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competitions, because the basic military situation has not changed during the year.
– The Russians are killing Ukrainians, the civilian population, destroying our civilian infrastructure, including sports infrastructure. Almost 130 athletes who were part of the national team have already fallen in this war. We don’t have training facilities, and some of the athletes have to train abroad, says Belenjuk.
President Zelenskyi has also spoken about the dishonesty of the IOC’s plans towards Ukrainian athletes.
– Ukrainian athletes have to defend their loved ones and the freedom of our people from the Russian attack. The Russian attacks have taken the lives of hundreds of Ukrainians who could have contributed to world sports. Russia must stop aggression and terror, and only then can we discuss Russia’s participation in the Olympics. Olympic principles and war are completely opposite things.
The Ukrainians would not call for concessions, even for those athletes who have actively opposed Russia’s military actions. Well-known Ukrainian political journalist Serhii Ivanov reminds us that sport is politics.
– It would mean showing support to Russia, and Russia would consider this decision a sign of weakness. Everything where Russia gets its way, it presents as its own victory, Ivanov says.
– Although the war was started by the Russian leadership, it is supported by the majority of Russians. Someone voted for Putin, someone tolerates this war, someone goes to the front. We should not go against even those who do not support the war. Even if they don’t support the war, they obviously aren’t doing enough to stop it.
Belenjuk emphasizes that Russia uses sports and athletes for propaganda purposes.
– There are Russian athletes who are in the ranks of the national guard or the army and who participate in events that explain the necessity of war and the destruction of Ukraine.
IOC board member: Ukraine would break the rules by boycotting the games
Last Friday, the Ukrainian Olympic Committee made a principled decision that the country will boycott next year’s Olympics in Paris if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to participate in the Games.
Polish Minister of Sports Kamil Bortniczuk about 40 countries can join the boycott. Also the governor of the host city of Paris Anne Hidalgo oppose (you switch to another service) participation of Russian athletes in the Olympics.
Despite the boycott decision, Ukraine continues to influence the issue through diplomacy. The country’s leadership has sent letters on the subject to international sports federations, Olympic sponsors and the French president For Emmanuel Macron.
According to Belenjuk, it is primarily necessary to prevent the return of Russians and Belarusians to the sports fields by diplomatic means, because the boycott harms Ukrainian athletes.
– We need to assemble a network of supporters, so that the IOC sees either two countries at stake – Russia and Belarus – or a broad coalition of countries that are on Ukraine’s side. I would leave the boycott as a last resort in case we are not heard on this matter.
KOK board member Denis Oswald said on ‘s World Politics Everyday podcast that Ukraine would violate the Olympic Charter if it boycotted the Paris Games.
– All IOC member countries should or, in fact, must participate in the Olympics. If Ukraine were to boycott the games, we would still invite their athletes, whom we have helped, to compete without national symbols, as well as possibly the Russians, says Oswald.
– In this case, Ukraine would be breaking the rules, which is not acceptable in these circumstances, when we are trying to help them, the IOC member shook.
After the end of World War II, Japan and Germany were excluded from the 1948 London Olympics. Why should Russia be treated differently now?
– The ongoing war is not a world war and the perception of it varies from continent to continent. Of course, it is felt strongly in Europe, where it is close, but we also have wars in Somalia and Yemen, Oswald reasoned.
– The IOC is a global organization and we cannot ignore the feelings of different continents. That is why we have opened the discussion, and I would like to emphasize that the main principle of the Olympic charter is that no athletes are discriminated against, he continued.
Listen to the episode “Everyday World Politics” in full on Areena: