On Thursday at the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at At an extended meeting of the ROC athletes' commission, sports leaders finally voiced specific formulations regarding the prospects for the possible participation of Russian athletes in the Olympic Games. On the one hand, it is confirmed that each athlete will decide for himself which way to go next. On the other hand, the prospects are outlined so clearly that there is no doubt which path OCD recommends for everyone to take.
The President launched the process. An extended meeting of the ROC athletes’ commission took place two days after an important event that affected any professional athlete in our country. Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum and answering a question about his position on the participation of Russians in the Olympic Games, noted that the interests of athletes are above all, and everyone is free to make their own choice. And the day before the head of state, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov expressed his opinion, saying the following.
“We know that there will still be athletes who will take part in these Games in a personal capacity. I am convinced that we need to take part in this way,” he noted in a conversation with.
But every Russian athlete — naturally, from among those who are generally concerned with the Olympic issue — should at least know what awaits him if he decides to compete at the Olympics. Provided that he is invited there. Indeed, at the moment the International Olympic Committee has not made a decision on the participation of athletes from Russia and Belarus in the 2024 Games in Paris. Judging by the way our athletes were “taken for a ride” by the IOC with the Asian Games, it is not a fact that this decision will be positive.
What is the essence of “neutralization” However, let’s assume that the IOC nevertheless decided to fulfill its unification of the countries a mission that has been stated many times by the president of this organization, Thomas Bach. Then Russian athletes, in the apt expression of ROC President Stanislav Pozdnyakov, will have to undergo a “neutralization” procedure. This word was used for the first time in a sports context.
“We perfectly understand athletes who want, despite unfair criteria, to continue their (international) sports career,” Pozdnyakov said from the stage of the conference room in the ROC building. “Every person has the right to take the path of neutralization. I call a spade a spade. Who wants to take this path is everyone’s moral choice.”
What would such neutralization mean in practice? The President of the ROC explained. Firstly, this is the signing of declarations, the content of which, to put it mildly, may be far from even the “neutrality” that the IOC implies. After all, the final decision on the admission of each specific athlete to the Olympics is not up to Bach and company, but to the international federation.
“Today, many federations have openly put forward demands of a political nature,” Pozdnyakov emphasized. “I heard that There are federations that do not require the signing of such declarations. But we understand perfectly well that when 2024 comes, not a single athlete who takes the path of neutralization will be able to receive Olympic accreditation without signing the appropriate document.»
Will money be taken away from our athletes? Secondly, even if point one is passed, “neutralization” can greatly upset those athletes who are accustomed to the fact that all their activities — training and competition — are generously financed by the state, including in the form of prize money .
«»According to the current IOC criteria, athletes must not only renounce association with their country, the NOC and the national federation. In essence, this is a refusal to participate in the Russian Championship. Go through a humiliating neutralization procedure, come to the Russian Championship, take a place — an association with national federation, and, therefore, a violation has taken place,” stated the president of the ROC.
A little later, during the press approach, Pozdnyakov noted that the ROC does not have the right to participate in sending athletes to the Olympics under the current conditions formulated by the IOC rights.
“A neutral athlete cannot be associated with either the state or the National Olympic Committee. Thus, the IOC has prohibited us from funding neutral athletes,” he explained.
Athletes are not safe Finally, the third point is that no one guarantees Russians, in the status of neutral athletes, safety during international competitions. Actually, we have already seen that in the legal field in Europe lawlessness can happen in relation to them, when Russian tennis players were not allowed to cross the borders of, for example, Poland and the Czech Republic, despite having visas. This point of “neutralization” was explained by Deputy Minister of Sports of Russia Alexey Morozov.
““Last year we received more than 30 letters from various states, mostly European, where we were directly told that the safety of Russian delegations was not guaranteed. As a matter of routine, we «They generally said that the police would not respond in case of any incidents. It seems that various organizations are competing to see who can impose even more humiliating conditions on us,» he said.
However, in order not to frighten the athletes at all, Morozov explained that “for those athletes who travel, we provide Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompaniment, take security measures, and provide instructions.” And Foreign Ministry representative Alexander Alimov, who was present at the meeting, emphasized: “We will not be able to act as bodyguards, but any diplomatic support for Russian athletes in foreign institutions will be provided.”
You will have to make a choice. And, finally, the last point — the moral side of “neutralization”. Here, the sports leaders were as careful as possible in their wording all day, emphasizing that every athlete has absolute freedom of choice.
““Boycott is a path to nowhere,” said Pozdnyakov, speaking about the reasons why Russia will not make a centralized decision on non-participation in the Olympics. “It does not bring dividends to anyone. In 1980 and 1984, this did not stop the policy of either the Soviet Union, neither the USA. The victims were athletes. In particular, by the way, Thomas Bach, who as a world champion did not participate in the 1980 Olympics. Or the head of the NOC of Japan, who during his entire career in judo did not lose a single bout, but missed the Moscow Games. We We live in a civilized democratic state. Therefore, a boycott by the ROC is impossible.»
“The President correctly said that the choice is up to the athletes. These are mature people who are capable of making it,” Pozdnyakov also emphasized. But at one point he still hinted at which choice he considered the right one. “Each of the athletes must make their own moral choice — to be close to their comrades who were illegally suspended, or to go through neutralization. Accordingly, they will bear responsibility for their choice,” concluded the head of the ROC.
Summing up this very important and sometimes even fateful day — yes, the green light is on for those who are going to Paris. But the road there will be oh so bumpy — and it’s not a fact that at some point it won’t lead to a derailment. But these are, of course, only forecasts for now. The ball is now finally kicked into the IOC half of the field. Recommendations for the admission of Russian athletes to international competitions are not yet recommendations for admission to the Olympics. What will they be like — and will there be any at all? All that remains is to wait.
And “neutralization” is a cool term. What is neutralization in chemistry? In simple terms — deprivation of certain aggressive properties. If there was acid or alkali, it became water. How many Russian athletes will want to turn into such a neutral substance — without a flag and an anthem? The question is not rhetorical yet.