Although the United Nations voted last year to uphold the Olympic Truce, the Paris Games will still be held in the shadow of international conflict.
The title of the UN resolution was “Building a peaceful and better world through sport and the Olympic ideal”.
AFP evaluates that conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, as well as tensions with countries, especially Afghanistan, whose policies are contrary to the Olympic charter, may cause problems for the Games, which will last from July 26 to August 11.
Russian riddle
Russia’s persistent doping led to its Paralympic team being banned from the 2016 Rio Games and Russian athletes being banned from competing under their national flag at the 2021 Tokyo Games and the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Winter Games.
This time it’s not about drugs, it’s about war. On February 24, 2022, four days after the end of the Beijing Olympics, Russia invaded Ukraine while the ceasefire was still in effect.
International backlash led to an immediate ban on most international sports on Russia and its Belarusian ally. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the Russian Olympic Committee last October due to Ukraine’s annexation of sports organizations in four partially occupied regions.
On the other hand, the IOC is determined to protect individual Russian competitors under the “non-discrimination” clause in the Olympic Charter.
It began arranging their return to competition in March 2023, allowing them to appear at the Games in December on the condition that they compete under a neutral flag, do not parade at the opening ceremony and prove they “do not actively support the war in Ukraine”. ” and they are not affiliated with the military or security agencies.
Ukraine is still calling for a ban on Russians, but Kiev dropped its boycott threat last summer.
The IOC estimated that 36 Russians and 22 Belarusians could qualify for Paris in March.
There remains the question of how representatives of the warring nations will be present together at the Games.
Gaza: remaining neutral
The IOC is trying to stay on top of the Gaza conflict by citing the implementation of the “two-state solution”, a legacy of the 1993 Oslo peace process. The Israeli and Palestinian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have co-existed in the IOC since 1995.
Israel did not violate the Olympic truce and the NOC did not annex any Palestinian sports organizations; but in retaliation for Hamas’ bloody attack on 7 October, it destroyed the headquarters of Palestine’s main sports institutions and caused the deaths of leading sports figures. Coach of the football team.
Neither the Palestinians nor any Arab state has threatened to boycott the Games if Israel participates.
This leaves the IOC to take a two-pronged approach. It relies on “spaces of universality” to guarantee the presence of Palestinians who may have difficulty passing traditional qualifiers. It also focuses on security, as it has at every Games since 1972, when 11 Israelis were killed during an attack on the Olympic delegation in Munich by members of a Palestinian extremist organization.
Iran-Israel: Uncertainty is increasing
It remains difficult to assess the impact of this escalating conflict on the Games. Warring countries such as Iran and Iraq also participated in the same Games. The IOC’s doctrine of separating sport from politics means that being at war is not in itself a reason for exclusion. There are also concerns about how athletes from the two countries will live together in the Olympic Village and their behavior during the competitions. Iran punished athletes who shook hands with Israelis and urged them not to compete against Israeli rivals.
Afghanistan: secret edition
The Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has left the IOC facing a dilemma. He wants to help athletes and support staff who remain in Afghanistan, but restrictions on women’s participation in sports violate Olympic principles.
The IOC demands Afghan authorities guarantee “safe access to sport for women and girls”. The IOC also provided financial aid to athletes and left it with the option of putting pressure on the country’s NOC, for example by refusing to accredit officials for Paris.
In mid-March, the Olympic body had promised to “do everything possible” to ensure an Afghan team that “respects gender equality” participates in the 2024 Olympic Games. “It’s the right approach,” said IOC Olympic Solidarity Director James Macleod.
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