Athlete Advocacy Group Criticizes IOC Decision Over Neutral Athletes

Global Athlete, an international athlete advocacy body, has sharply criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its decision to allow 20 Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) at the upcoming Winter Olympic Games in Milano Cortina. The group asserted that this decision "enabled" and "kowtowed" to Russia.

These 20 athletes, comprising 13 Russians and 7 Belarusians, are participating under a teal flag with an AIN emblem. Their national anthem will not be played if they win a medal.

Global Athlete's Stance: Propaganda, Vetting, and Accountability

In an open letter to the IOC, Global Athlete stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin has used sport as a tool of state propaganda to legitimize an ongoing conflict since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The letter contended that the decision to allow neutral athletes was a political act with real-world consequences.

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has used sport as a tool of state propaganda to legitimize an ongoing conflict since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine."

The advocacy body called on the global sporting community to demand increased sanctions on Russia, not relaxed ones. It claimed that the vetting process for neutral athletes is inadequate, arguing that these athletes have been developed, trained, and funded through Russian and Belarusian state sport systems connected to military and state structures.

Global Athlete also maintained that Russian state media would interpret AIN medals as Russian victories, irrespective of flag or anthem, enabling propaganda exploitation. The letter referenced the 2018 Pyeongchang Games, where Russian athletes competing as "Olympic Athletes from Russia" (OAR) were still celebrated nationally.

The group accused the IOC of reintegrating Russia into the international community without accountability and suggested that easing restrictions indicated the IOC's influence by political forces. It argued that presenting international competition as a unifying gesture, without significant change in the conflict, reduced Olympic values to mere slogans.

IOC's Rationale and International Reactions

The IOC had originally banned Russia after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A similar policy allowed 32 AIN athletes to compete at the Paris Olympics. Belarusian athletes are included due to their country's support for the invasion.

Athletes permitted to compete as AINs were vetted by their sport's governing body to confirm no links to the Russian military or support for the war. However, Global Athlete disputed the effectiveness of this vetting.

At an IOC meeting in Milan, Kirsty Coventry, without directly naming Russia, stated, "we are a sports organisation," emphasizing the need to keep sport a neutral ground. The IOC also recommended allowing Russia's youth athletes to participate in the Youth Olympic Games in Dakar.

Ukraine's Minister of Youth and Sports, Matvii Bidnyi, stated that changing restrictions on Russian athletes would send a wrong message and would "legitimise this evil," advocating for continued pressure until the conflict ends.