● From our sister site, TheSportsExaminer.com ●
The International Olympic Committee received its harshest criticism yet from its exploration of conditions under which Russian and Belarusian athletes might re-enter international competition as part of a 31-point resolution of the European Parliament issued last Thursday (16th).
The “European Parliament resolution of 16 February 2023 on one year of Russia’s invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine” includes a list of recitals reflecting the body’s view of the war, including:
● “whereas Russia has been carrying out an illegal, unprovoked and unjustified war of aggression against Ukraine since 24 February 2022; whereas this war of aggression constitutes a blatant and flagrant violation of the UN Charter and of the fundamental principles of international law”;
● “whereas the liberation of Ukrainian territories has led to the discovery of overwhelming evidence of structural and widespread human rights violations and war crimes committed by Russian forces and their proxies”;
● “whereas Russia’s war of aggression shows its colonial attitude towards its neighbours; whereas as long as Russia remains an imperial state, it will continue its efforts to maintain the ever-looming threat of aggression on the European continent; whereas numerous international actors have recognised Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism and a state which uses means of terrorism.”
In the convoluted European Union system, the European Parliament is the 705-member legislative body that has members elected directly from each of the 27 member countries. It is designed as the voice of the people.
The resolution specifically calls out the IOC in item 24:
“Reiterates its condemnation of the recent decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in qualifications for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games under a neutral flag, which runs counter to those countries’ multifaceted isolation and will be used by both regimes for propaganda purposes; calls on the Member States and the international community to exert pressure on the IOC to reverse this decision, which is an embarrassment to the international world of sport, and to adopt a similar position on any other sport, cultural or scientific events.”
This section is not an outlier, but rather part of the resolution’s concept of isolating Russia, also included in item 19, “Calls on the [EU] Council to maintain its sanctions policy against Russia and Belarus,” and in item 21:
“Calls on the EU and its Member States to take further action to continue the international isolation of the Russian Federation, including with regard to Russia’s membership of international organisations and bodies such as the United Nations Security Council.”
The resolution was passed with 444 votes in favor, 26 against and 37 abstentions. The IOC posted no response to the resolution through Monday evening.
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Following up on the 10 February online meeting of national sports ministers of 26 nations hosted by Great Britain, a formal statement was published Monday by the British Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
Signed by representatives of 34 countries – including Amelie Oudea-Castera, Minister of Sports and the Olympic and Paralympic Games in France – the declaration included (expanded for readability):
● “We firmly believe that, given there has been no change in the situation regarding the Russian aggression in Ukraine, and as an imperative for fairness and solidarity towards the Ukrainian athletes whose facilities have been destroyed and who have had to leave their country (or stay to fight for the defence of Ukraine in which very many have lost their lives), there is no practical reason to move away from the exclusion regime for Russian and Belarusian athletes set by the IOC in their statement of 28 February 2022.”
● “In our collective statement of 4 July 2022, in view of the non-discrimination principle, we recognised that Russian and Belarusian nationals could be allowed to compete as ‘neutral’ individuals, subject to conditions to ensure they are clearly not representing their states. …
“However, in Russia and Belarus sport and politics are closely intertwined. We have strong concerns on how feasible it is for Russian and Belarusian Olympic athletes to compete as ‘neutrals’ – under the IOC’s conditions of no identification with their country – when they are directly funded and supported by their states (unlike, for example, professional tennis players).
“The strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military are also of clear concern. Our collective approach throughout has therefore never been one of discrimination simply on the basis of nationality, but these strong concerns need to be dealt with by the IOC.”
● “As long as these fundamental issues and the substantial lack of clarity and concrete detail on a workable ‘neutrality’ model are not addressed, we do not agree that Russian and Belarusian athletes should be allowed back into competition.
“Noting the IOC’s stated position that no final decisions have been made, we strongly urge the IOC to address the questions identified by all countries and reconsider its proposal accordingly.
“We also note that Russia and Belarus have it in their own hands to pave the way for their athletes’ full return to the international sports community, namely by ending the war they started.”
Of the 36 nations participating during the conference, Australia, Hungary and Switzerland did not sign on (neither did Ukraine, as the object of the statement). Two countries not previously listed joined in: Liechtenstein and Romania.
This statement is important and serious, notably for the agreement of French Olympic and Paralympic Minister Oudea-Castera, and leaves many options that the IOC would not like open as the calendar moves inexorably toward July 2024.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Lee Satterfield was a signatory and in a separate statement added:
“The United States will continue to join a vast community of nations to hold Russia and Belarus – and the bad actors who dictate their actions – accountable for this brutal war. Russia has proven, time and again, it has no regard for and is incapable of following the rules – in international sport and in international law.”
~ Rich Perelman
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