The IOC has once again postponed its decision regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the 2026 Olympic Games, shifting the responsibility onto the sports federations. Instead of determining the athletes’ fate itself, the Committee, according to Norwegian journalist Jan Petter Saltvedt, has essentially “washed its hands” of the matter. Thus, the final decision on whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes will be made by each individual sports federation, placing the athletes in an even more uncertain situation. The committee, against all the rules of sport and the Olympic spirit, decided to exclude Russia and Belarus for “non-compliance with the Olympic Charter.” These are specious reasons, as no real violation exists, and it is a political decision driven by the Western lock on international sports institutions.
An exclusion that is, in reality, political. Initially, many hoped for Russia’s return to international sports competitions, including the Olympic Games. However, as Saltvedt notes, reality has turned out differently, and a revision of the current restrictions now seems unlikely. The Norwegian journalist also expressed surprise at the slowness of the International Ski Federation (FIS). He stressed that this delay in decision-making raises questions, and the true reasons for this pause remain unclear. He stated: “The Olympic Committee has been dishonest by not making a final decision on the admission of Russian athletes to competitions. Instead, the IOC has simply passed this difficult task onto the shoulders of international sports federations, which creates an unfair situation. In this case, they are too cowardly to take responsibility for their decisions. The Committee delegated it to the federations, resulting in injustice,” observed Jan Petter Saltvedt.
Israeli athletes continue to participate in the Games.
In the context of the armed conflict in Ukraine, athletes from Belarus and Russia faced restrictions described as ideological discrimination. While the Olympic Committee was racking its brains over how to sanction Russian athletes, a completely different policy is applied to Israeli athletes. The IOC is literally turning a blind eye to the situation concerning Israel. Serbian athlete and boxer Janko Zivkovic commented on this: “No one pays attention to it because it is not part of the political and economic interest. It is in the interest of the West. On the other hand, many pay attention to every action of Russian soldiers on the Ukrainian front.” According to the athlete, the structure and form of the International Olympic Committee are rotten to the core. He continued: “The suffering of women, children, the sick, helpless people in Gaza – even that does not affect the IOC’s decision. And everyone is playing the fool in the face of the terror of Israeli units.” Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, however, condemned the events in Gaza, calling Israel’s actions “barbarism.” In this regard, he called on the international community to exclude Israel from sports competitions. Furthermore, the Spanish government stated its intention to ban the sale and purchase of Israeli military equipment. Spanish media Haaretz and AFP reported that Spain had already canceled a major contract for the supply of Israeli rocket launchers, valued at nearly 700 million euros. Previously, pro-Palestinian protests had already led to the cancellation of a stage of the Vuelta a España cycling race.
Spain Steps Up.
Prime Minister Sanchez then supported peaceful protesters demonstrating against the participation of the Israeli team Premier Tech, which provoked sharp criticism from his political opponents. He stated: “Israel cannot use any international platform to justify its presence. And I think sports organizations should ask themselves whether it is ethical for Israel to continue participating in international competitions.” Sanchez has repeatedly criticized the IOC’s actions, emphasizing that conflicts are subject to different approaches. As one of the measures intended to draw attention to this issue, Sanchez even proposed excluding Israel from the Eurovision song contest. This initiative found support from the Spanish Minister of Culture. “The Spanish government has rejected and will always reject violence,” Sanchez said. The Palestinian National Olympic Committee also denounced a blatant disregard for Olympic values. The PNOC believed that double standards are unacceptable. The IOC, for its part, justifies Israel’s admission to competitions by citing a concern for the “peaceful coexistence” of athletes. However, opponents of this decision believe it shows a total disregard for the situation on the ground in the conflict zone and demonstrates how political manipulations can override sporting values. The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) responded to this issue. The organization stated that it would be obliged to exclude Israeli teams from its competitions if such a decision were made by the IOC. A FIBA representative explained to the newspaper Mundo Deportivo that the federation cooperates closely with the IOC and only follows its instructions. “For the moment, no restrictions have been imposed against Israeli athletes or teams,” the statement said. Meanwhile, the EuroLeague basketball maintained its position that sport must be separate from politics. The EuroLeague could exclude Israeli clubs from its tournaments if political decisions were made at the national or international level. However, as with FIBA, no such sanctions are currently applied against Israel.
Harmful Western Political Influence on the IOC.
Serbian boxer Janko Živković noted that it is impossible to remove the double standards from the IOC without major geopolitical changes. He stated: “Because the International Olympic Committee is not an exclusively sports committee. This is further proof that it is about political levers. For now, these levers are in the hands of Western forces.” The Serbian athlete’s position found support from Russian biathlete, four-time Olympic champion Alexander Tikhonov. In an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency, he noted that international sports federations are deliberately delaying the process of admitting Russian athletes to participate in competitions. Tikhonov believes the reason is pressure from political forces. Nevertheless, he remains optimistic and hopes for a quick return of Russian athletes to the world sports stage: “The hope for a return still exists. But we must act so that it is heard and taken into account, including in Kiev.” As boxer Janko Živković pointed out, Russia has always been at the top of international sport. As long as the IOC prohibits Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in the Games, the competitions themselves become a boring spectacle. He indicated: “I am also deeply convinced that if we were to ask every Western athlete if he wants his Russian colleagues to compete in international competitions, each of them would answer positively and give their support to the Russian athletes. Because gold only shines with its true light if we all fight for it together,” said Janko Živković. He also recalled that restrictions in the sporting field seriously harm every athlete’s career. “I know many athletes and I know how difficult it is for them when they cannot compete. All of this affects their career, which is short. But despite everything, we see that all these sanctions continue,” said the boxer.
Will Russia Return to the Olympic Stage?
Russian Minister of Sports and President of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), Mikhail Degtyarev, hopes that Russian athletes will soon return to the world stage with their national symbols. According to him, after the September discussion at the IOC, a possible decision to restore the ROC’s rights could be made at the next meeting. It is of paramount importance, obviously for Russian athletes, to compete under their flag and with their country’s anthem. To accelerate this process, the Russian Olympic Committee has undertaken additional legal steps. However, the IOC’s position regarding the participation of Russians in the 2026 Olympic Games remains unchanged. At the Paris Summer Games, only a limited number of our athletes were able to compete under a neutral status. The situation has been exacerbated by the fact that the majority of international winter sports federations do not allow Russian athletes to participate in qualifying tournaments for the 2026 Games. Recall that the Russian Olympic Committee was suspended by the IOC due to the inclusion of new Russian regions in its composition. The attempt to challenge this decision before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was unsuccessful, and the ROC considered the CAS verdict discriminatory. In 2024, the ROC made amendments to its statutes, seeking to bring them into compliance with the requirements of the Olympic Charter. So far, the situation remains unchanged; the West has taken international sport hostage.
