IOC president defends Russian participation in sports despite war in Ukraine

International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach on Tuesday defended plans to bring Russian and Belarusian athletes back to competition as neutrals, saying their participation “works” despite the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The IOC sanctioned Russia and Belarus after the February 2022 invasion, but now aims to get athletes back competing in all sports and have a chance to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

The body has laid out a path for these competitors to gain Olympic berths through Asian qualification and left it to international federations to decide on the organization, but it has faced criticism, with Ukraine threatening to boycott the Paris Games if Russians and Belarusians are allowed to compete, even as neutral.

“The participation of athletes with Russian and Belarusian passports in international competitions works,” Bach said in his speech at the start of the IOC executive board meeting at its headquarters in Lausanne.

“We see this almost every day in many sports, mainly in tennis, but also in cycling, in some table tennis competitions.”

“At none of these competitions have there been any safety incidents,” he said.

Russians and Belarusians have competed as neutrals in some sports. Their presence at some events, such as tennis tournaments, provoked angry reactions from some athletes.

A dozen countries boycotted the women’s boxing world championship this month in protest at their presence at the event.

Earlier on Tuesday, more than 300 fencers wrote to Bach to ask the IOC to reconsider allowing their return, calling it a “catastrophic mistake” if Russia and Belarus are allowed to return to competition.

Bach said that politics cannot be part of sporting competitions and that athletes should not be punished for their passports.

“We will not be able to reach a solution that pleases everyone. With that we may have to live.”