Russian Olympic Athletes Breached Rules on Ukraine War: Report

Two-thirds of the Russian athletes approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to compete in the Paris Olympics as neutrals have expressed support for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine or have links to the military, according to a new report.

Fifteen Russians and 16 Belarusians have accepted invitations to compete under a neutral banner at the Paris Games, which begin on July 26, according to the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Athletes from the two countries were banned from world sport following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but the IOC has overseen their gradual return under a neutral banner, subject to strict conditions. 

Global Rights Compliance, a Hague-based human rights foundation, said in a report that ten out of the 15 Russians have been found to be in violation of “the principles of participation” of neutral athletes.

“Despite being presented with clear evidence of violations by Global Rights Compliance, the IOC has failed to act in accordance with its own rules,” the group said.

In a statement to AFP, the IOC said it could not comment on individual cases and the decisions of the review panel. 

“It has reviewed the athletes in accordance with the IOC Executive Board decision and the principles that were established. We have nothing further to add.”

According to the law firm’s report released on Thursday, Russian cyclist Alena Ivanchenko in March 2022 “liked” a social media post that features a picture of dictator Joseph Stalin with the caption “A truce with the enemy is possible after its destruction.”

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Cyclist Tamara Dronova has been found to be in breach of two rules: links to national security agencies and pro-war conduct in public, according to the report.                    

Canoeist Olesia Romasenko is a member of the Central Sports Club of the Army (CSKA), a Russian sports institution subordinate to the defense ministry. 

‘Lip service’ 

The other Russian athletes mentioned in the report are canoeist Alexei Korovashkov; swimmer Evgenii Somov, trampoline gymnast Anzhela Bladtceva and tennis players Mirra Andreeva, Pavel Kotov, Diana Shnaider and Elena Vesnina.

Vesnina “liked” posts about “military feats” of Russian soldiers killing Ukrainians and posts displaying the pro-war “Z” symbol, the report said.

Of the 16 Belarusian athletes, several have also been found in violation of the eligibility rules.

There was no immediate reaction from the Russian and Belarusian Olympic Committees.

“If the IOC’s stated aim is to ‘Build a Better World through Sport’ then action must be taken by the IOC to demonstrate that it – and its associated businesses – do more than just play lip-service to ethics and human rights for all,” said Wayne Jordash, president of Global Rights Compliance.

The group said it was alerting the IOC’s corporate partners – Including Airbnb, Coca-Cola, Visa, Deloitte, Panasonic, and Carrefour – to its findings, adding that “they could be unknowingly complicit in endorsing Russia’s criminal military action.”

Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, some 450 Ukrainian athletes have died on the battlefield.

To be invited to the Games, “neutral individual athletes” who achieved good enough results to qualify, had to pass a double check.

First by the international sports federations and then by the IOC, to ensure they did not actively support the war in Ukraine or have any links with their countries’ armies.