Six months before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games, it is still unknown whether Russian athletes will be able to participate, and if so, their exact number.
Russians are currently trying to qualify for the Olympics as “neutral athletes” in various combat sports such as judo and wrestling, but not in some flagship disciplines such as track and field, swimming and gymnastics.
Russia is unhappy that its athletes will not be able to see their flag or hear their national anthem, and President Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia still has not decided whether to send its athletes to the Paris Games or not. . These will begin on July 26.
Ukrainian athletes are frustrated that some sports federations are playing with words to allow Russians who supported the war or who have ties to their country’s army or security services to compete under neutral banners.
If the Russians are in Paris, then there will be tensions, just like at the World Fencing Championships, an Olympic qualifying event, where Ukrainian fencer Olga Kharlan refused to shake the hand of her Russian opponent, who was playing under neutral banner, Anna Smirnova.
Smirnova protested by sitting on the ground until the Ukrainian was disqualified, but the International Olympic Committee intervened and offered Kharlan a “one-time exemption” to compete in the Olympics.
How can they qualify?
The IOC has developed a “neutral individual athlete” program for athletes from Russia and its military ally Belarus. Both countries had been suspended by most international sports federations a year earlier following the invasion of Ukraine.
This process is led by sports federations who organize their own qualifying events. The IOC wants them to exclude Russians and Belarusians who have links with the army, the security services of their respective countries, or who have published messages of support for the invasion of Ukraine on the networks social. The range of regulations in force across the 32 Olympic disciplines means that it is very difficult to have a clear idea of the number of athletes who could compete under a neutral banner.
The IOC mentioned that six Russians and five Belarusians have already qualified for the Paris Olympics. And there are still several qualifying events to come.
The IOC will appoint its own “independent experts” to hand-pick them, organization spokesperson Mark Adams said last week.
For his part, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, told the Russian news agency ‘RIA Novosti’ on Wednesday that he expects “very strict” selection criteria, and he suggested that the IOC’s decision to hand-pick athletes means it “does not have complete confidence in international sports federations”.
The Russians will compete in which disciplines?
Combat sports were particularly eager to welcome back Russian athletes. Judo, fencing, wrestling and taekwondo were among the first disciplines to adopt the “neutral athlete” policy in 2023. Additionally, Russians regularly compete in their qualifying events.
Russian sports federations have taken different approaches to the “neutral athlete” system, and there is still no final government decision on this issue. Putin expressed concerns in December about the rules, which he said could lead to the exclusion of many Russian Olympic medal hopefuls.
Russian gymnastics coach Valentina Rodionenko has told a Russian media outlet that her country should not participate in World Cups unless the rules are relaxed. Data from the International Gymnastics Federation indicates that the organization has granted “neutral” status to 30 individuals from Belarus, including some athletes, coaches and managers, but no Russians.
Additionally, there are expected to be no Russians at the World Aquatics Championships next month in Qatar, a pivotal qualifying event. However, five swimmers from Belarus must go there.
Russian swimming and gymnastics federations did not respond to inquiries about whether they had submitted applications for their athletes.
Russia absented itself from weightlifting qualifying events to denounce a condition that stipulates its athletes must “avoid expressing any form of support for the war.” Belarus took part in these competitions.
Russian athletes are still suspended from athletics events. The IOC prevents Russia and Belarus from participating in team sports such as soccer, basketball or volleyball because it believes these countries should only participate in “individual” events. Doubles teams in tennis, as well as boats of two athletes, could however be approved.
With Associated Press journalist Graham Dunbar, in Geneva