On Tuesday, the board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) made a policy that caused an uproar, with which it transferred responsibility for the competition rights of Russians and Belarusians to international federations.
Russian and Belarusian individual athletes can return to international sports arenas under certain conditions, if the international sports federation of the sport so decides.
This may lead to situations where Russian and Belarusian athletes will be seen in the Olympic qualifiers for some sports towards the Paris 2024 Olympics, but not in some sports.
It also reflects on how the sports federations are able to ensure that the included athletes meet the IOC’s conditions. Competition rights cannot be returned to, for example, Russian athletes who supported the war, and the athletes must not be affiliated with the military or security authorities.
Read more: The IOC ruled on the return of the Russians to sports – the Finnish athletics boss talks about the impossibility of an “unclean decision”
“Many Russians from the field of fencing are out”
Fragmentation has already occurred on the sports field, which can also lead to a situation that discriminates against athletes. The International Association of Athletics Federations (WA) has already decided not to include Russians or Belarusians.
Instead, the International Boxing Association (IBA) waived the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes already in the fall. In March, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) decided on the admission of Russians and Belarusians to international competitions and thus also to the Olympic qualifiers.
For this reason, the IOC’s new policy was also helpful, feels the chairman of the Finnish Fencing and 5-match Federation Joonas Lyytinen. The union’s position from the beginning has been that Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be allowed to participate in the Games.
– Personally, that decision was more positive than I feared. The fear was that the IOC would take a more positive stance. The restrictions were quite strict.
According to Lyytinen, in the decision of the International Fencing Federation, it was stated that Russians and Belarusians can join in the middle of April, but they must comply with the eligibility requirements set by the IOC.
– First of all, it affects the international ranking in fencing that the Russian and Belarusian teams are excluded from the IOC’s decision. Teams play a very significant role in fencing’s Olympic qualification, which makes it much more difficult for the Russians to enter the Paris Olympics, says Lyytinen.
Secondly, Lyytinen is relieved that there was still a neutrality requirement in the IOC policy.
– It referred to statements supporting the war, which means that many Russian athletes from the field of fencing are out. Pro-war public statements have come from there. even the chairman of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakovis a former fencer, one of the best fencers of all time, Lyytinen reminds.
Lyytinen then points out that there are still many questions.
– How does the International Fencing Federation interpret these limits set by the IOC and what do they mean in practice?
The careers of Finnish athletes are at stake
The Finnish fencing and 5-match association has been featured in the news when Helsingin Sanomat told (you will switch to another service) last week from the latest situation picture of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Finnish sports federations are threatened with a reduction or even loss of state aid if athletes participate in the same competitions as Russian or Belarusian athletes.
– If a sports association or an athlete decides to participate despite the situation, the participating entity bears responsibility for its own decision, according to HS, in the ministry’s statement.
This could lead to a position that discriminates against athletes with a particularly harsh hand. The sports federation does not necessarily want to send its athletes to the Olympic qualifiers if there is a threat of reductions in state aid. Smaller sports federations may be more dependent on state subsidies than larger ones.
Among the Finnish fencers, the Olympic place in Paris is especially sought after Niko Vuorinenwho criticized both the IOC’s incompetence and the ministry’s policy in Helsingin Sanomat.
– Linjaus has a catastrophic effect on Finnish top sports. It will destroy countless sports careers, for example mine, comments Vuorinen.
Chairman Lyytinen tells Urheilu that the discussions with the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Olympic Committee continue about the conditions under which Finnish fencers can participate in games where there are Russians.
– The latest OKM statement at least left the door open for Finnish athletes to participate in a situation where there were athletes who met the neutrality requirements of the IOC.
The ministry’s policy was that the sports federation could lose its support if Finnish athletes participated in games with Russian athletes. But if the Russians meet the IOC conditions, the ministry can be flexible?
– Even in the previous memorandum, it was stated that when we see what those conditions are, the matter must be reconsidered. I am tentatively positive, Lyytinen answers.
In fencing, Olympic qualifying points start accumulating from mid-April. Since Finnish fencers of an international level only participate in the kalpa fencing, for the first time Finns and Russians can be collecting points in the same competitions at the beginning of May in Cali, Colombia at the GP competitions.
This is how Susiluoto of the Olympic Committee commented on the situation
Chairman of the Olympic Committee Taina Susiluoto said that the new line of the IOC did not follow the Nordic positions.
– Tuesday’s decision kept the sanctions in force, which is a good thing, but of course transferred a lot of responsibility to the international sports federations.
– It is not a desirable situation that different athletes are in an unequal position depending on which sport they practice as a profession. There may be a conflicting situation ahead. We have to hope that the sports will listen to the content of the IOC policy, which primarily sanctions Russia and Belarus.
In the audio below, Susiluoto comments on the transfer of responsibility to the sports federations, the possibilities of the sports federations to control the eligibility of the Russians and the Olympic qualifiers.
For example, with regard to the fencing federation, there has been talk regarding state subsidies, that the state subsidy could be threatened if a Finn goes to compete against the Russians. What kind of discussion has taken place in this regard and does the IOC’s recent decision affect it?
– We have a really close cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Culture and also with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding this whole, which concerns the war in Ukraine and related matters. We will continue this conversation with OKM about this overall effect, and likewise the board of the Olympic Committee will meet (Thursday) and we will review the matter. We are also in dialogue with our Nordic colleagues and we strive to treat athletes in the same way, even if there are now contradictions between the sports, Susiluoto answered.