DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — There are 100 days left until the Paris Olympics, but it's still unclear whether the Russian athletes expected to qualify will actually participate.
The question is whether Russia will accept the conditions set for Russia by the International Olympic Committee in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ultimately, it may be up to individual athletes to decide whether or not to participate.
The IOC expects 36 Russian athletes, and possibly as many as 54, to perform well in qualifying in Paris.
The IOC will allow athletes to compete as “neutral athletes.” This means players cannot use their country's flag or anthem or participate in team sports such as soccer or basketball. Athletes with ties to the military or who express support for the war will be banned from participating.
The same restrictions apply to Russia's ally Belarus. Athletes from Russia and Belarus will also not be able to participate in the opening ceremony on July 26th.
Russian President Vladimir Putin questioned the rules and called on the Russian Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sports to submit recommendations on whether his athletes should compete in Paris.
The views of the Republic of China and the Ministry of Sports are in stark contrast.
Republic of China President Stanislav Pozdnyakov said in a social media post that the IOC had “time and again come up with unreasonable standards” for athletes and “consistently followed external political orders to isolate Russian sport.” “We are carrying out the necessary measures.” On April 5, he likened Russian tennis players eager to compete in Paris to a “team of foreign agents” who play primarily outside Russia, earn money and criticize Russian policies. He said it was accurate. Russian army.
However, Sports Minister Oleg Matitsyn said Russia should not boycott the Olympics.
“We must maintain the possibility of dialogue as much as possible and participate in the competition,” Matitsyn said in comments carried by the state news agency TASS last month.
Russia sent 335 athletes to Tokyo in 2021 and won 20 gold medals out of a total of 71 medals. They competed without the national symbol at that Olympics and the 2018 and 2022 Winter Olympics due to doping scandals.
Ukraine opposes the participation of Russians in any capacity at the Paris Olympics, but it has eased its policy of boycotting events involving “neutral” Russians.
IOC President Thomas Bach suggested last month that “boycott threats” from both countries were no longer an issue.
“At this point, we can say that this discussion is over,” Bach said at a gathering of Pacific sports officials in Fiji. “We still have different opinions. The sanctions against those who violate the Olympic Charter go too far. Some say we haven't gone far enough. This usually means you have an advantage, even if neither side is 100% satisfied. .”
The IOC's stance on Russia has led to calls for it to take a similar approach to the Gaza war with Israel. Bach ruled out that possibility last month.
The neutral Russian delegation will be made up primarily of athletes who participate in martial arts such as judo and wrestling, and will likely include some of the world's top tennis players, including former US Open champion Daniil Medvedev. He told Russian newspaper Sport Express earlier this month that he intended to compete in Paris. At least three Russian cyclists and a trampoline athlete may also be included.
Activists in Ukraine are tracking the social media activity of Russian athletes and issuing warnings about anything they believe violates the IOC's neutrality rules.
One of the athletes in the spotlight is wrestler Abdulrashid Sadulaev, a two-time gold medalist. He was initially approved to participate in the Olympic qualifiers, but was disqualified on April 4 in light of what the wrestling governing body announced was “new information regarding support for the Ukraine-Russia war.” Ta. A letter to Bach on Friday claimed that nine other eligible Russian wrestlers and one Belarusian had supported the war effort.
In wrestling alone, 12 Russians have qualified so far, with more likely to follow next month.
Judo, Putin's favorite sport since childhood, could attract 10 to 12 Russians to Paris, the International Judo Federation estimates.
However, some influential Russian coaches and officials have refused to send their athletes to qualifying events.
The Russian Rowing Federation has announced that it will ignore upcoming qualifying rounds in protest at what its president calls “discriminatory conditions.”
Swimming and gymnastics have opened applications for neutral athletes. However, it is unclear whether Russia's leading players have applied. Dozens of applications from Belarusians were approved.
No matter what is decided in Moscow, Russia will not participate in Olympic track and field.
The sport's governing body, World Athletics, has not lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in competitions it runs, including Olympic events.
___ AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
