DUSSELDORF, Germany — With 100 days until the Paris Olympics, it is still unclear whether the expected Russian athletes will actually qualify.
The question is whether Moscow will accept the conditions imposed on Russia by the International Olympic Committee following its invasion of Ukraine. Ultimately, it could be up to individual athletes to decide whether or not they want to participate.
The IOC expects 36 Russian athletes — and possibly as many as 54 — to do well enough in qualifying events to compete in Paris.
The IOC will allow them to compete as “neutral athletes”, meaning they will not be able to use their country’s flag or anthem or participate in team sports like football and basketball. . Athletes with ties to the military or who have expressed support for the war will be banned.
The same restrictions apply to Russia’s ally Belarus. Athletes from Russia and Belarus are also not allowed to participate in the opening ceremony on July 26.
Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the rules and asked the Russian Olympic Committee and the Sports Ministry to submit recommendations on whether Russian athletes should compete in Paris.
The Republic of China and the Ministry of Sports have very contrasting views.
In posts on social media, the President of the Republic of China, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, claimed that the IOC “again and again invents illegitimate criteria” for athletes and “systematically carries out external political orders to isolate Russian sport” . On April 5, he compared Russian tennis players set to compete in Paris to “a team of foreign agents”, saying they mainly play and earn money outside Russia and criticize its policy. Pozdniakov himself holds the rank of colonel in Russia. the Russian army.
Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin, however, said Russia should not boycott the Olympics.
“We must preserve as much as possible the possibility of dialogue and participate in competitions,” Matytsin said last month in comments reported by the official Tass news agency.
Russia sent 335 athletes to Tokyo in 2021, winning 20 gold medals out of a total of 71 medals. They competed without national symbols at these Olympics and at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Games due to a doping scandal.
Ukraine opposes Russian participation in the Paris Olympics in any way, but has relaxed its policy of boycotting events attended by “neutral” Russians.
IOC President Thomas Bach suggested last month that “boycott threats” from both countries were no longer a problem.
“Now we can say that this discussion, at this time, is over,” Bach told a meeting of Pacific sports officials in Fiji. “We still have different opinions. One of them says that we have gone too far in imposing sanctions on those who violated the Olympic Charter. Others say that we have not gone far enough. Normally, it shows you’re in a good position if both parties aren’t 100% happy.”
The IOC’s stance on Russia has led to scattered calls for it to take a similar approach with Israel over the Gaza war. Bach ruled out the possibility last month.
A neutral Russian delegation would consist primarily of athletes from combat sports such as judo and wrestling and likely several of the world’s best tennis players, including former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. He told Russian newspaper Sport-Express this month that he planned to compete in Paris. At least three Russian cyclists and a trampolinist are also expected to be included.
Ukrainian activists monitor the activity of Russian athletes on social media and report anything they believe violates the IOC’s neutrality rules.
One athlete who has been closely watched is two-time gold medalist wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev. He had initially been cleared to compete in Olympic qualifying, but was stripped of that status on April 4 in light of what wrestling’s governing body called “new information about his support for Ukraine’s war and Russia. letter to Bach on Friday alleging that nine other qualified Russian wrestlers and one Belarusian had supported the war.
So far, twelve Russians have qualified in wrestling alone and more could follow next month.
Judo, Putin’s favorite sport since his childhood, could bring together 10 to 12 Russians in Paris, estimates the International Judo Federation.
However, some influential Russian coaches and officials refused to send their athletes to qualifying events.
The Russian rowing federation said it would refuse the next qualifiers in protest against what its president called “discriminatory conditions”.
Swimming and gymnastics have opened applications for neutral athletes. But it’s unclear whether leading Russian athletes have applied. Dozens of Belarusian applications have been approved.
Whatever the decision taken in Moscow, Russia will not participate in the Olympic athletics events.
The sport’s governing body, World Athletics, has not given up on banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions it organizes, including Olympic events.
___ AP Olympic Games: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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