The International Olympic Committee recommends that the Russians return to international sports, but with conditions

The International Olympic Committee recommended on Tuesday that Russian and Belarusian athletes be returned to international competitions under a neutral flag and “in an individual capacity”, provided they do not actively support the war against Ukraine.

However, the executive body of the international organization will decide “at the appropriate time” for their participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, according to what the German committee chairman, Thomas Bach, said in a press conference on Tuesday, at a time when Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic countries are threatening to boycott the games if they participate.
“We want to monitor the implementation of these recommendations for as long as possible… so that we can make a clear decision,” Bach said, adding that his body “has not set a timetable… no one knows what will happen tomorrow or after nine months.”
After weeks of pressure to clarify its position, the Olympic Authority announced last December “exploring ways” to return Russian and Belarusian athletes to global sports, after recommending their exclusion at the end of February 2022 due to the war.
And the International Olympic Committee decided, after four months of consultations with the entire Olympic world, to leave the international federations and competition organizers the primary responsibility for inviting Russian and Belarusian athletes or not, and contented itself with “recommendations” in order to “harmonize their approach.”
Thus, the executive body of the authority proposed to maintain the exclusion of all Russian and Belarusian teams, and limit the return to competition to athletes “with a Russian or Belarusian passport” as long as they compete “as an individual” and under a neutral flag, “do not actively support the war in Ukraine” and are not under contract with the Russian military. or security agencies.
And while some of the qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympics were launched, the International Olympic Committee “did not address” on Tuesday the issue of the participation of Russia and Belarus in the upcoming games, which is an explosive issue in light of the boycott threats.
Bach announced that the Olympic Organization would decide “at the appropriate time, at its sole discretion, and without being bound by the results of the Olympic qualifying competitions.”
Shortly after that, German Sports Minister Nancy Pfizer denounced this decision, which she considered “a slap in the face of Ukrainian athletes.”
“The international sports community must very clearly condemn Russia’s brutal war of aggression. This can only be done by completely excluding Russian and Belarusian athletes,” Pfizer said in a statement.