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With the Paris Olympics 18 months away, the debate over Russian athletes is back
NPR Online NewsDec 23, 2022
The Facts
Poland's sport and tourism minister Kamil Bortniczuk stated on Thursday that a coalition of up to 40 countries — including Britain, Canada, and the US — could potentially boycott the Paris 2024 Olympic Games if Russian and Belarusian athletes are allowed to compete.
Warsaw has joined the Baltic nations in a statement calling for the rejection of any effort by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to return such athletes, even under a neutral flag, claiming that it would legitimize the propaganda and politics of those countries.
The Spin
Anti-Russia narrative
It is outrageous that the same IOC that recommended barring Belarusian and Russian athletes last year is now considering allowing them to compete at Paris 2024. If they enable participation, the IOC would be endorsing aggression against Ukraine on the international stage. The Kremlin's propaganda machine has long exploited sports to empower the belligerent and criminal Putin regime — there is no place for Russians at the Olympic Games.
Pro-Russia narrative
The IOC is finally reversing its disgraceful recommendation to ban Belarusian and Russian athletes from International competitions — a direct form of discrimination against Russia when Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine. No athlete should face discrimination on the basis of their nationality or be forced to take sides in a conflict that does not concern the rest of the world. Russian athletes must be allowed to compete at Paris 2024, at least under a neutral flag.
