Athletistic / Others. On December 8, the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) reluctantly allowed athletes from Russia and Belarus to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France in neutral status. The only thing worth praising the IOC is that it was not afraid of blackmail from some countries who hinted at boycotting the 2024 Olympic Games if Russians and Belarusians came to the French capital. Naturally, they shouted it the loudest in Ukraine.

However, three weeks later, no boycott has been announced by Ukraine. It seems that the authorities in this country were afraid of their own words. To confirm this thesis, we cite a statement by the Acting Minister of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, Matvey Bedny, which he made in an interview with the BBC. He admitted that the boycott would cause much greater damage to Ukrainian athletes and could force Ukrainian athletes to go to the next Olympics with a neutral status.

Photo source: NOC of Ukraine

— We absolutely do not use the word boycott. We simply say that this is Ukraine’s position: we will not participate in competitions if athletes who support Russia and its regime are allowed. This is a fundamental question. But we fully understand that a boycott of the Olympic Games will be a hard blow for our athletes. In this case, we also take risks. The Olympic Charter provides sanctions for such acts. It is possible that at the next Olympic Games, we will be asked to compete in neutral status. A boycott is therefore a rather radical stepBedny said.

According to Bedny, a red line runs through the blackmail narrative, but the person responsible is now forced to choose expressions, because it is one thing to threaten to boycott the Olympics and another to carry out his threats. Kyiv is unlikely to miss another opportunity to speak out and ban its athletes from participating in the 2024 Games in Paris.

  • In defiance of the IOC. Russia’s first star athlete refused the Olympics

It appears that Ukrainian sports officials have begun to realize the futility of putting pressure on the IOC and its president Thomas Bach through blackmail. Over the past two years, Ukrainian officials have obtained a lot of permits and been able to get away with it. In order to put pressure on Russia, the IOC sacrificed its principles and, in violation of the Olympic Charter, suspended Russian athletes from international competitions, but setting a precedent through a boycott is clearly not part of Thomas Bach’s plans. Not much time has passed since two consecutive Summer Olympics (Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984) were held without the participation of half the world. It seems that the IOC has lost patience and that from now on questions regarding the admission of Russian athletes will be resolved without taking into account what they say in kyiv. I would like to believe that the ice was slowly breaking.

Photo source: IOC

Ukraine is unlikely to boycott the Olympics. She has already accomplished a lot: Russia and Belarus will not officially be at the Paris Games, the team sports and athletics competitions will certainly take place without representatives of these two countries, and next summer, at maximum 25 to 30 Russians and Belarusians will come. in Paris, which will have no flag, no anthem, no personal trainers. For Ukraine, this is already a victory. The IOC will no longer strengthen sanctions, as its reputation has already suffered greatly and the Global South may not be able to resist further flirtations with Western political elites. The world is gradually ceasing to be unipolar and the International Olympic Committee, which wants to remain the driving force of sport, must put up with it.

Nikita Serbakov, Athletistic


@sportru