That has triggered a withering response from Kyiv, which wants Russia banished from the Olympics and other international sporting events as Moscow’s destructive invasion drags on.
“We will call on the international community to reject any attempts to normalize the presence of Russian and Belarusian citizens in sports as long as the war against Ukraine continues,” Yuri Muzyka, Ukraine’s deputy sports minister, told POLITICO.
“In the Russian Federation, sport is part of state policy, it has no autonomy, and athletes and officials are part of the state propaganda machine,” he said, adding that Kyiv remained “steadfast” in its support for a ban.
Under the current rules, Russian athletes are allowed to compete in the Olympics only under a neutral banner. Some international sporting federations, such as ice hockey and track and field, do not allow Russians to participate in tournaments and qualifying rounds at all, meaning they cannot qualify for the Games.
Those who “actively support” Russia’s war, or who work for its military, cannot participate in the Olympics (though in practice this ban has not always been enforced). Just 15 Russians competed in the Summer Olympics in Paris last year, compared with more than 300 in Tokyo in 2021.
Moscow has called the restrictions unjust and discriminatory. Coventry said it was inconsistent to ban some countries in conflict and not others, and said it was important that “all athletes” are “represented” at the Olympics.
