On September 12th, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for what he deemed as the politicization of sports, particularly concerning the upcoming 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This critique comes amidst the uncertainty surrounding Russian athletes’ participation in the event due to Putin’s controversial invasion of Ukraine. While the IOC has not made a final decision, it has maintained that athletes should not face repercussions for their governments’ actions. French President Emmanuel Macron recently expressed his view that no Russian flag should be displayed at the Games.
During a forum held in Russia’s far east, Putin referenced the ideals of Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympics. Putin argued that the current leadership of international sports federations, including the IOC, deviates from Coubertin’s original vision, which emphasized the separation of sport from politics, with the aim of uniting people.
Putin went on to express concern about the commercialization of sports over the past decades, suggesting that the Olympics had succumbed to financial interests. He characterized the Olympic movement as “degrading” in the sense of losing its original purpose of bringing people together, emphasizing that it should not solely be about setting records but also about fostering unity.
In contrast, IOC President Thomas Bach has consistently maintained that the Olympics should remain apolitical to preserve its capacity to unite individuals through sport.
Russia has historically placed great importance on the Olympics as an opportunity to showcase itself as a global leader. However, in the past decade, Russian athletes have faced the challenge of participating in successive Games without their national flag and anthem due to doping scandals.
The situation surrounding the 2024 Paris Games remains complex, with Ukraine issuing threats of boycotting the event if Russia and its ally Belarus participate. Nevertheless, Ukraine’s sports minister suggested in a July interview with Reuters that the boycott threat could be reconsidered if athletes from these countries competed as neutrals.