(Kyiv) Ukraine has indicated that it will no longer ban its athletes from competing against Russians and Belarusians who participate in sporting events “under a neutral banner”, a significant move which suggests that its boycott policy will be relaxed – one year before the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
A decree adopted on Wednesday states that Ukrainian athletes and teams must nevertheless continue to boycott Russian and Belarusian athletes who choose to perform with their national flag or other symbols associated with their country, or if they have already publicly expressed their support for one of the two countries involved in the invasion of Ukraine.
This change in approach could pave the way for the Ukrainians at the Olympics next summer. Ukrainian athletes had chosen to boycott all sporting events allowing Russian or Belarusian athletes to compete as “neutral individual athlete” – the specific term used by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
It’s unclear at this time how this decree will be applied in real life, but at least one high-profile Ukrainian athlete faced a “neutral” Russian opponent on Thursday.
Olympic champion Olga Kharlan faced a “neutral” Russian opponent, Anna Smirnova, at the World Fencing Championships – an Olympic qualifying event – on Thursday in Milan, Italy, eventually winning 15-7. Smirnova, however, refused to leave the set after the duel in protest, as Kharlan refused to shake her hand.
The IOC recommends that Russian and Belarusian athletes participate in sporting events “under a neutral banner”, without a national symbol, during the qualifying events for the Olympics. Most international sports federations have adopted this principle, or plan to do so soon.
However, the IOC still maintains its recommendation to ban all Russian and Belarusian teams, as well as all athletes who have links with the armed forces or the security services of these two countries.
The organization headed by President Thomas Bach has yet to make a decision about the presence of “neutral” athletes of Russian or Belarusian origin at the Paris Olympics in 2024.