Ukrainian Sports Minister, Vadym Gutzeit, has warned that Ukraine may boycott the 2024 Summer Olympics if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete in the Paris Games.
Vadym Gutzeit disclosed that as long as there is a “war in Ukraine, Russian and Belarusian athletes should not be in international competitions.”
Belarus is a major ally of Russia and was used as a staging post for the full-scale invasion of neighbouring Ukraine.
Gutzeit’s comments came after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced that it would “explore a pathway” for athletes from the two countries to participate as neutrals.
In a post on Facebook, Gutzeit divulged, “Work is currently under way on further possible steps and first steps to continue sanctions and prevent Russians and Belarusians from international competitions.”
“If we are not heard, I do not rule out the possibility that we will boycott and refuse participation in the Olympics.”
Vadym Gutzeit
Gutzeit, who doubles as the President of Ukraine’s National Olympic Committee, added that talks with national sports federations over a possible boycott had already begun.
Just days after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, The International Olympic Committee(IOC) had urged sporting governing bodies and organizers to eliminate Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from international events.
However, on Wednesday, January 25, 2023, in an apparent change of course, the IOC said that the possibility of athletes from the two countries competing in sporting events as neutrals should be “further explored”.
In a statement following a meeting of its executive board, the IOC disclosed, “No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.”
Following that announcement, the Olympic Council of Asia said it had offered athletes from both countries the chance to compete in this year’s Asian Games, giving them a qualification pathway for the Paris Games through Asia rather than Europe, where they could face boycotts and hostility.
Sports Figures Should Make Their Stance Known
The decision was met with dismay and ire in Ukraine. Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, also contributed to the argument, urging all “sports figures to make their stance known”.
“[The] IOC has been disregarding Russian war crimes, claiming that ‘No athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport’, while Ukrainian athletes continue to be killed by Russia because of their passports.”
Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba
British Culture Secretary, Michelle Donelan, has opined that the organization’s stance was “a world away from the reality of war being felt by the Ukrainian people”.
In Germany, Interior Minister, Nancy Faeser, called it “the wrong path”.
However, in Russia, there was praise for the International Olympic Committee’s approach from Igor Levitin, an aide to President Vladimir Putin and senior Vice President of the Russian Olympic Committee.
“I think it is already a success. Olympic society understands that the Olympic Games cannot be staged without Russia,” Levitin was quoted as saying by the state-owned TASS news agency.
Meanwhile, the International Paralympic Committee has disclosed that it would “follow with interest the IOC proposed process”.
“We wish to reiterate that we hope and pray that the conflict comes to an end, that no more lives are taken, and that we can run sports and politics separately,” Andrew Parsons, the IPC’s President, disclosed in a statement.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, many international sports bodies have suspended Russian and Belarusian teams or athletes in protest against the war. Others have been permitted to compete under a neutral flag.
The Paris Games are scheduled to take place from July 26 to August 11 next year.
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