Sports Competitions Reevaluate Participation of Russian and Belarusian Athletes a Year After the Invasion
Image courtesy of Carlo Bazzo via Unsplash
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2021, countries and international organizations immediately reacted by placing economic sanctions and travel restrictions on Russia and its close ally Belarus. However, a less-discussed extension of the war is the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes from participating in international competitions. A year after the invasion, sports organizations, including the International Fencing Federation (FIE), Wimbledon, and International Olympic Committee, are reevaluating their bans.
In the fall of 2022, the FIE voted to extend its prohibition of these athletes, with 77 percent of members voting in favor. However, this decision was quickly reversed. In early March 2023, the FIE’s Extraordinary Congress held a vote to determine whether Russian and Belarusian fencers would be allowed to compete in future events. Over 60 percent of countries voted in favor of lifting the ban on these athletes, meaning that Russian and Belarusian fencers are now eligible to compete in the July 2023 World Fencing Championships this summer. This change has upset some FIE members, including Phil Andrews, CEO of USA Fencing, who, in response to the vote, said, “Today's 'yes' vote by more than 80 delegates, while not a direct endorsement of Russia's war, does send a message to the world that a majority of the international fencing community is ready to look the other way and welcome back fencers funded by and supported by the Russian government.”
Wimbledon has also recently lifted its ban on Russian and Belarusian tennis players, with the provision that players compete under a neutral flag. Additionally, athletes will be ejected from the tournament if they voice support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. In both men’s and women’s rankings, several Russian and Belarusian players are inside the world’s top 15 and will now be permitted to play.
Wimbledon responded quickly after the initial invasion, banning Russian and Belarusian players. It was the only Grand Slam championship to ban these athletes. As a result, the tournament was stripped of its ranking points, and the Lawn Tennis Association, Great Britain’s governing tennis organization, was fined by the Association of Tennis Professionals and Women’s Tennis Association. This is a significant change to Wimbledon policy.
Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka is currently ranked second in the world and a two-time Australian Open championship winner. “It’s really terrible because no one supports the war,” Sabalenka told the Australian newspaper The Age of the bans. “I’m just really disappointed sport[s] is somehow in politics. We’re just athletes playing their sport. That’s it. We’re not about politics. If all of us could do something, we would do it, but we have zero control.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is planning to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris 2024 Games under a neutral flag. The decision is highly controversial and has been condemned by countries and athletes around the world. “If politics decide who can take part in a competition, then sport and athletes become tools of politics,” said IOC President Thomas Bach while defending the decision in a speech in Essen, Germany. “It is then impossible for sport to transfer its uniting powers. We must be politically neutral but not apolitical. We know well that politics rules the world. We know well that our decisions have political implications and must include that in our thinking.”
In response to the IOC’s plans, 30 countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and France, signed a statement requesting that the IOC “reconsider its proposal”. Additionally, the statement notes that “Russia and Belarus have it in their own hands to pave the way for their athletes’ full return to the international sports community, namely by ending the war they started.”
Ukrainian athletes have strongly criticized the IOC decision. Of the IOC’s plan, Ukrainian tennis player and Olympic bronze medalist Elina Svitolina stated, “We must stick to banning Russian and Belarusian athletes, sending a strong message worldwide that we are united in the sanctions imposed against Russia and Belarus and that there are consequences for the heinous acts of their governments.” Similarly, Ukraine’s Sports Minister Vadim Guttsait posted outrage at the IOC’s plan on his Facebook. Additionally, he stated,“If we are not heard, I do not exclude the possibility that we will boycott and refuse to participate in the Olympics.”
The decision on whether or not to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in international sports competitions is contentious. There are widespread concerns about the ability of athletes to remain neutral because of the intertwining of sports and politics in Russia and Belarus. Furthermore, a motion by the Lithuanian Parliament argued that victories by these athletes would be used as propaganda by the governments in Moscow and Minsk. This debate will continue as more sports organizations begin to reconsider their positions on Russian and Belarusian athletes. The IOC is one of the most significant sports bodies, and its decisions are likely to set a precedent. As a result, it needs to carefully consider its position on allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in future Olympic games.