In December, the International Olympic Committee authorized Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a “neutral” banner at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
The decision was announced on December 10, the eve of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations’ adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights—a document openly violated by Russia as it massacres thousands of civilians in Ukraine.
In Russia, sports, state propaganda, and the military are inseparable. Many Russian athletes are active military officers. For instance, 45 out of 71 medalists from the Russian team at the Tokyo Olympics were members of the Central Sports Club of the Russian Armed Forces. Interim soldiers. Sports are a cornerstone of Putin’s militaristic system, a fact Russians openly celebrate with pride.
By allowing Russian athletes to compete in the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee sends a clear message to the world that aggression against a sovereign state and the tens of thousands of war crimes committed by Russia are acceptable.
The so-called neutral banner is nothing but a mask to legitimize Moscow’s propaganda and crimes.
Time and again, the world has allowed Russia to violate all Olympic principles—through doping, corruption, war, and inflicting unimaginable suffering on its neighbors.
As long as Russian bombs continue to rain down on Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes have no place at the Paris Olympics.
We will not let Russia turn #Paris2024 into the blood games.
