Paris 2024 : la Russie exclut tout boycott des Jeux olympiques par ses athlètes
“I cannot reword”
Stanislav Pozdniakov highlighted the case of the boycott of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow by Western countries as a protest against the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan, which began in 1979. The athletes were unable to participate in the competitions, and the political boycott resulted in very negative outcomes. Neither side emerged as a winner, emphasizing the need for sports to separate itself from politics.
Les athlètes russes ont été bannis de compétition après le déclenchement de l’offensive russe en Ukraine en 2022. Mais le Comité international olympique (CIO) a recommandé en mars dernier la réintégration des sportifs russes et biélorusses dans les compétitions internationales, sous bannière neutre et « à titre individuel », pour ceux qui n’ont pas activement soutenu l’offensive en Ukraine.
Peu d’athlètes attendus
According to Mr. Pozdniakov, any Russian athlete will be able to participate in the Olympic Games under a neutral flag if they wish to and if they are authorized to do so by the IOC. “We live in a free country. Each athlete is free to make their choice,” which means “to show solidarity with their teammates who are banned from the Olympic Games for invented reasons or decide to participate under a neutral flag,” Mr. Pozdniakov further stated.
However, he emphasized that the “recommendations of the IOC” were inherently prohibitive and would not allow a large number of Russian athletes to participate in the Olympic Games. Russian athletes participated in the 2021 Tokyo Games under the banner of their Olympic committee, “ROC,” rather than their country, as a sanction following the revelation of a state-sponsored doping policy in Russia, particularly during the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.
