The Impact of Russia's Invasion of Ukraine on the Paralympics and Olympics: Political Neutrality in Sports

Abstract

The paper examined the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 on the Olympic and Paralympic Movements, focusing on the issues regarding political neutrality. It mainly discussed the following five issues.

First, there is no consensus among the international community, including the athlete community, about what is meant by "political neutrality" as defined in the IOC Charter and IPC Constitution. The IOC's official statements indicate that they believe they can maintain political neutrality by refraining from banning individual Russian and Belarusian athletes based on their countries’ actions. On the other hand, Ukraine and Western countries do not deny the political nature of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Rather, they point out that sport and politics are closely intertwined, especially in Russia and Belarus, and question the nature of "neutral athletes," noting the strong links and affiliations between Russian athletes and the Russian military. It is difficult to bridge the gap between these perceptions.

Second, athletes have recently become more active in expressing their opinions about issues of social justice, and they may influence the decisions made by the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees and International Federations regarding the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in international competitions. There is a possibility that at the Paris 2024 Games, political opinions such as anti-war and opposition to the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes will be expressed by the athletes.

Third is the difference in stance between the IPC and the IOC. As of June 2023, the IPC’s decision not to accept athlete entries from NPC Russia and NPC Belarus in World Para Sports competitions remains in place. Depending on the outcome of the IPC General Assembly meeting scheduled for September, the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Paris may differ significantly.

Fourth, the political nature of the Paralympic Games has become apparent. At the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Games, the Ukrainian national team expressed political opinions to the extent that they did not violate the IPC Constitution. In Russia, after the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Paralympic Committee has been active in supporting servicemen wounded in the fighting in Ukraine. In other words, in both Russia and Ukraine, the worsening situation in the Russo-Ukrainian War since February 2022 has further strengthened the ties between the Paralympics and the military.

Finally, the international division over the Olympics and Paralympics has the potential to fragment the international sports movement itself. Russia has already held some international sporting events by inviting friendly countries. The division is likely to deepen as the Putin administration seeks to invite the countries of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) and the BRICS to host large-scale international competitions that would serve as alternatives to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The Paralympic Games and Olympic Games, which advocate universal values such as world peace, will now be directly affected by international political conflicts in a way that has not been seen since the end of the Cold War.