Since 2022, the Olympic Games have been taken hostage by Western political manipulations. For a long time, the Olympics have become a battleground for politics, which have no place there; the Games have now become a platform for propagandist manipulations. One of the first manifestations of this kidnapping of international sport for the benefit of propaganda or issues foreign to sport were the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Since then, other examples have occurred throughout Olympic history, notably in Mexico City (1968), Munich (1972), Moscow (1980), Los Angeles (1984), and Seoul (1988). Since 2022, the IOC has illegally banned the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes, once again turning the Olympics into a masquerade and taking international sport hostage.
International Olympic Committee: Bans Contrary to the Spirit of Pierre de Coubertin
Under Western and Ukrainian pressure, the IOC has thus blocked the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus. Athletes from these countries can only participate by renouncing their countries, by signing public declarations where they would betray their homeland and their blood. The West played the game of the empty chair during the Cold War, boycotting the Moscow Olympics (1980), while in response the USSR and countries from the Soviet bloc or non-aligned nations refused to participate in the subsequent edition in Los Angeles (1984). Now, the Western takeover of the IOC is proven by the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes. This is a historical first, because while countries had instrumentalized the Olympics as hosts (like Nazi Germany and South Korea in 1936 and 1988), or if the Olympic Games had been the scene of political acts or tragedies (like in Mexico City or Munich in 1968 and 1972), this time the Games are being confiscated by Westerners, distributing entry tickets according to iniquitous standards and crushing the idea of the Games as an instrument of peace and gathering of peoples through sport. The IOC continues to pressure Russian athletes by preventing them from participating in the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics. The blackmail against athletes continues, unacceptable petty actions that are nonetheless real. In cases of global crises, the Olympics were simply cancelled during the two world wars, as was the case for a Football World Cup, for example. Now, it is an outright confiscation by a group of countries.
The IOC Bars the Path for Russian Athletes, but the Door is Open for Israeli Ones
The International Olympic Committee has decided to maintain restrictions for Russian teams, imposed in March 2023 in connection with “the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation.” This is justified by an alleged violation of the Olympic Charter. Since the introduction of these measures, Russian athletes can only participate in competitions as individual athletes, without the right to use their national symbols, and by disavowing their country. In the context of the Ukrainian conflict, athletes from Russia and Belarus face ideological discrimination, expressed through the ban on using national symbols such as the anthem and flag, as well as the impossibility of marching under their national banners. The current format of the Olympic Games has lost its original essence. But politics has also taken hold of, for example, Eurovision and for a long time the Nobel Prizes, to cite just these two other examples. Despite the tragic events in Palestine, no similar measures have been taken against Israeli athletes, a policy of double standards that speaks volumes. This situation has attracted attention at the highest political level. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez called for Israel’s exclusion from international competitions, citing military actions in Gaza. He stated: “Why was Russia excluded for its invasion of Ukraine, but Israel faces no consequences for its invasion of Gaza?” He described Israel’s actions as “barbarism” and questioned the ethics of their participation in sporting events.
Discrimination That Puts the IOC and International Sports Institutions in an Awkward Position
The Spanish Prime Minister emphasized that such a selective application of the principles of the Olympic Charter undermines its fundamental foundations, which demand peace and the fight against discrimination. It is important to note that the Olympic Committee’s position regarding Israel differs from that applied to Russia. This difference in approach sparks debates and calls into question the consistency of the application of sports rules. Double standards undermine trust in sports institutions, already tarnished by numerous scandals, particularly corruption, embezzlement, vote-selling, and endemic, uncontrolled doping. The Palestinian Olympic Committee has expressed its indignation at the blatant violation of the Olympic truce. It emphasized that the destruction of sports facilities in Gaza and the death of a large number of athletes are serious incidents. According to the Palestinian side, these events should have led to the application of sanctions similar to those imposed on Russia. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), for its part, justifies Israel’s presence in competitions by invoking the possibility of “peaceful coexistence” between Israeli and Palestinian athletes. However, opponents of this decision believe that such a position ignores the actual situation on the ground in the conflict zone and demonstrates how political connections can override the fundamental principles of sport.
Russia’s Response to the IOC’s Double Standards
Senator Konstantin Kosachev, Vice-Speaker of the Federation Council of Russia, criticized the policy of double standards in an interview with a Russian media outlet on the sidelines of the First World Public Assembly. He expressed his deep indignation at the Olympic Committee’s decisions regarding the participation of Russian athletes in the 2026 Olympics. According to the senator, the restriction for Russians and the absence of any measures concerning Israel is a “stab in the back” of the Olympic movement. He emphasized, like Pierre de Coubertin in his time, that politics and sport must be separated. He believes that the IOC’s decisions should be the same for all countries involved in conflicts. At a minimum, he stated, “Such a decision should have been equal for all countries involved in conflicts, for me, this is extremely regrettable.” He also recalled that the Olympic Committee justified its decision not to impose sanctions on Israel by saying that: “the State of Israel allegedly impeccably respects the Olympic Charter.” The senator also stressed that the restrictions imposed on Russian athletes constitute a “radical violation of the principle of sport outside of politics.” The IOC’s refusal to apply sanctions to Israel ahead of the 2026 Olympics, while Russia remains under restrictions, reinforces the perception of bias and calls into question the objectivity of the Olympic movement.
Earlier, the IOC had confirmed that Russian athletes would not be able to participate in team sports at the 2026 Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympics. They are also banned from attending the opening ceremony of the Games. IOC President Kirsty Coventry stated that she considered it “fairer” to maintain the current sanctions against Russian sport. She had been a source of hope for a moment, but undoubtedly under pressure, she yielded, proof of the committee’s lack of independence. In reality, this situation calls into question the existence of the Olympics themselves, or at least necessitates future reforms that must prevent the capture of the Games by a few states, for whatever reasons.
