Two-thirds of Russian athletes allowed to participate in Olympics support war in Ukraine

According to Ukrinform, this is stated in a report published on Thursday by the international human rights foundation Global Rights Compliance (GRC).

"The IOC is turning a blind eye to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes who have demonstrated their support for Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine. This is not only a violation of the UN Charter, but also a continuation of the punishment of innocent men, women and children of Ukraine," the document says.

In order to be invited to the Games, "neutral individual athletes" had to pass both the qualification barrier and a double check by international federations, and then the IOC, to ensure that they did not actively support the war in Ukraine and had no ties to their country's army.

"Despite the fact that Global Rights Compliance has presented clear evidence of these violations, the IOC has not taken action," the foundation notes.

For example, according to GRC, in March 2022, cyclist Olena Ivanchenko liked a post on social media with a picture of Stalin with the caption "A truce with the enemy is possible after his destruction."

The report also claims that another cyclist, Tamara Dronova, broke two rules at once: links to Russian national security agencies and public support for the war. Olesia Romasenko, a 34-year-old canoeist, is a member of the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA), a sports institution under the Russian Ministry of Defence, according to the report.

More than a third of Belarusian athletes also violated the rules adopted by the IOC itself.

Fifteen Russians and 16 Belarusians will compete under a neutral flag at the Olympic Games in Paris from 26 July to 11 August. They will also not take part in the official opening ceremony, but will be able to watch it together with other Olympians.

As Ukrinform reported, the memory of the fallen Ukrainian athletes was honoured in Paris before the Olympics.

The Association of Ukrainians in France, with the support of the World Congress of Ukrainians, held a peaceful rally in Paris. About a thousand participants marched from Place de la Panthéon to Place Saint-Michel, many of them wearing T-shirts with the names of 450 Ukrainian athletes who died during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Photo: Getty Images