For long, the Olympics itself no longer only provides a worldwide stage for athletes to compete; but rather, it has been intersecting closely with politics. sports have been intersecting closely with politics, in either positive or negative ways. For instance, Jesse Owens challenged the Nazi unfair racial ideology by winning four gold medals as an African American athlete in the 1936 Berlin Olympics; China showcased their development globally in 2008 Olympics. In the 2024 Paris Olympics, The eligibility of Russian and Israeli athletes to participate in the 2024 Olympics in Paris has been particularly surrounded by controversy, although the participation of these two countries, together with two others, has been brought into the spotlight, with questions regarding fairness, responsibility, and the role of international sporting events still hotly debated.
1. Russian Athletes: Competing Under Neutral Flags
Russian athletes have been competing under a neutral flag-a decision by the International Olympic Committee due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine for the third consecutive time. However, this year, only 16 Russians have still accepted the invitation to compete under the neutral flag recognizing them as Individual Neutral Athletes. The decision comes in line with the moves taken earlier in events when, due to the country's involvement in doping scandals and later military aggression in Ukraine, Russian athletes could not compete under their national flag: Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Beijing 2022 Winter Games. The same measures are taken against Belarusian athletes. Some have spoken in favor, while others have expressed opposition to the IOC's decision to allow Russian athletes into the games as "neutrals".
Critics say Russia's unabated participation in the conflict in Ukraine warrants a full stand-alone ban, like the apartheid-era measures leveled at South Africa. It has also been criticized by countries friendly to Ukraine, among many other athletes, on the grounds that this decision undermines global solidarity with Ukraine and that sporting events should send an outspoken message in opposition to Russia's actions. On the other hand, supporters of allowing neutral participation are of the view that athletes should not be punished due to their government's action. "These athletes have dedicated their entire lives for this moment and many of them do not support the war," said one official from the IOC. "It will be unfair from our side to snatch away this golden opportunity from them to compete."
2. Israeli Athletes Face Calls for Boycott Amid Gaza Conflict
But the participation of Israeli athletes at the same time has aroused uproar due to the protracted Isreal-Palestine conflict, with the most serious provocation being military incursions in Gaza. Human rights organizations and activists, as well as some countries, have called for Israel to be barred from the Olympics, citing civilian deaths and reportedly human rights abuses in Gaza. This has heightened with tensions and violence spiralling in the region.
Yet no sanctions have been set forth by the IOC against Israeli athletes, who can compete with abandon. Critics say this betrays a double standard, that the IOC in the past excluded apartheid-era South Africa from events because of their political system. "If the Olympics are actually supposed to be a place for peace and harmony, then countries involved in human rights violations need to be similarly accountable as what we've seen during apartheid," says one activist.
In response, Israeli officials and athletes have argued that they should have been allowed a spot at the Olympic Games and that politics should not be a part of sport. "We are here to compete as athletes, not politicians," one Israeli Olympian said. "The Olympics are about bringing nations together, not dividing them."
A Double Standard
The disparate ways in which Russian and Israeli athletes have been treated has fed a larger debate about the place of politics within international athletics. Whereas one finds Russian athletes barred from competing beneath their national banner, for example, no similar prohibition has been levied against Israel, despite unrelenting calls for its boycott.
As a result, the move has brought criticism upon the IOC for its inconsistency, with many saying that it is failing to apply one standard to all nations involved in conflicts or accused of human rights violations. "It sends a confusing message," says one international sports analyst. "Why should Russian athletes compete under a neutral flag while Israeli athletes are allowed to compete freely when both nations are the explosives behind huge global conflicts?"
Participation by athletes from both Russia and Israel makes it a very complicated affair when it tries to pull the scales between international diplomacy and the essential ethos of sports. Some voices are raised against penalizing the athletes for the wrongdoings of their governments, while others maintain that the Olympics, as international games representing peace, are bound to take a very strong stance against countries in conflict.
This debate over athlete participation in the Paris Olympics goes on, in which the challenge is broader: the managing of sport, politics, and conflict on the global stage. Time will reveal if the precedent for these future games has been set by the IOC's decisions, but for now, controversy does continue to hang over what would otherwise be a celebration of athletic accomplishment and unity.
References
1.“Beijing Olympics 2008: An Urban Transformation - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs Platform.” United Nations, sustainabledevelopment.un.org/partnership/?p=2203. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
2.Gaebee, Kgalalelo. “OLYMPICS: ‘This Was Supposed to Be a Unifying Event, but the Reality Is Always More Complicated.’” CIVICUS Global Alliance, 24 Aug. 2024, www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/interviews/7249-olympics-this-was-supposed-to-be-a-unifying-event-but-the-reality-is-always-more-complicated. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024
3.Gordon, Anna. “What Is AIN? How Russians Are Competing at the Olympics.” Time, 27 July 2024, time.com/7004418/what-is-ain-russia-olympics-2024/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
4.“Jesse Owens.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 6 Aug. 2024, www.britannica.com/biography/Jesse-Owens. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.
5.www.timesofisrael.com/with-israeli-athletes-in-paris-palestinian-olympics-team-repeats-call-to-ban-them/. Accessed 27 Aug. 2024.