After Ukraine called for a boycott of competitions with Russians, the IOC is reacting in its own peculiar way.
Update from April 1, 2:50 p.m.: After an instruction from the Ukrainian government that international competitions involving Russian and Belarusian athletes should be boycotted, the IOC is now reacting to the statement with incomprehension. In its statement, the International Olympic Committee refers to the consequences for Ukrainian athletes and to the separation of sport and politics.
| 23. June 1894 |
| Thomas Bach (since 2013) |
| Lausanne, Switzerland |
Ukrainian boycott would ‘in no way affect the war’
The IOC is said to have taken note of the boycott instruction made public in Ukraine on television. At the same time, the committee issued a statement warning of the consequences if the decision were to be implemented. This “would only hurt Ukrainian athletes and would in no way affect the war that the world wants to end and that the IOC has so vehemently condemned.”
In addition, the IOC endorses a statement by the Association of National Olympic Committees ANOC, which uses the well-known argument of the separation of sport and politics: “Any calls for a boycott by the government are a direct intervention in the autonomy of sport and represent a clear politicization of sport,” announced ANOC after a meeting in Madrid.
According to IOC recommendation on Russian athletes: Ukraine orders boycott
First report from March 31: Kiev – The recommendation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete again continues to make waves. Even as the decision became apparent, IOC President Thomas Bach was exposed to sharp criticism, and the Ukrainian government is now reacting. In one meeting, they instructed their athletes to boycott all competitions with Russian participation. Violation of the decision even threatens a penalty.
Ukraine orders boycott of competitions
“We cannot offer a solution that pleases everyone,” said IOC President Thomas Bach before the Executive Committee meeting, at the end of which it was decided that Russian athletes would actually return to the international sports scene. Bach’s early insight is now followed by the first consequence, which is tantamount to a quasi-exclusion of Ukrainian athletes.
Two days after the IOC recommendation, Ukraine announced that its country’s athletes were ordered to boycott all competitions in which athletes from Russia and Belarus compete. The decision was made at the highest level: At a government meeting, “a protocol decision was made according to which we can only participate in qualifying competitions (for the 2024 Olympic Games, ed.) where no Russians are present,” said Oleh Nemchinov, the cabinet minister and is a member of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
Ukraine wants to sanction its own associations for violations
By Russians, the protocol decision also means athletes from Belarus, in whose country Vladimir Putin wants to station nuclear weapons. This also minimizes the chances for Ukrainians to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Even if it is extremely unrealistic that individual sports associations in Ukraine could disregard government orders, the government has taken precautions. Participation in competitions involving Russian or Belarusian athletes “could be a reason for the federations to be stripped of their national status,” Nemchinov said in the televised statement.
Ukrainian athletes could use DOSB as a guide
Even before the decision by the Ukrainian government, individual Ukrainian athletes called for a boycott or refused to compete against Russians and Belarusians. In addition, several activists from Ukraine are considering a lawsuit against the IOC, which invokes anti-discrimination with its controversial decision.
Should there be negotiations between Ukrainian athletes and the IOC, they could refer to a legal opinion commissioned by the German Olympic Sports Confederation. The report states that the exclusion of Russians “should not be classified as a violation of international prohibitions on discrimination and is therefore permissible”. (sh/dpa)
