The possible participation of Russian athletes in the Olympics is already making waves. High jumper Ella Junnila, shotgun shooter Eetu Kallioinen and free swimmer Ari-Pekka Liukkonen discuss the topic.
There will be an Olympic competition in Paris in the summer of 2024. PDO
1. Should Russian athletes be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics?
Junnila: I think the WA (International Association of Athletics Federations) made a good statement regarding the topic. Russians or Belarusians have no business in athletics fields until hostilities in Ukraine are over. If the Russian state continues its military operations in Ukraine until the Olympics, Russians or Belarusians should not be allowed to participate in the competitions. Sport as a whole, as well as the IOC, wants to be a mouthpiece for peace, and thus I do not see it as possible that the athletes of a state that is openly waging a war of aggression against another independent state should be allowed to participate in international competitions. The IOC has previously excluded, for example, South Africa from competitions due to the internal political situation. Viewed on this basis, it would be strange if the IOC did not see an open war of aggression as sufficient grounds for exclusion.
Rocky: Hard to say. Of course, it’s not the fault of those athletes that Russia has started a war, and they can’t influence what they were born into. On that basis, why not, but on the other hand, they haven’t been allowed to participate in anything anyway, so why should they be allowed to go to Paris as well.
Liukkonen: The Russian leadership uses sports and athletes as tools to strengthen its power and politics. Russia should not be given the opportunity to use it on the Olympic stage. In the individual sport, if an individual athlete resigns sufficiently clearly and in writing from Russia’s activities in Ukraine, I think participation can be considered. For team athletes, the question would probably be mainly competing as part of another country’s team, i.e. for example an accelerated change of sports citizenship.
2. Would participation without country codes differ from normal participation?
Junnila: I think not much. However, everyone knows that it is a Russian athlete. The Russian athletes without badges at the Beijing Winter Olympics sported similar red outfits as before and carried on their chests the emblem of the Russian Olympic Committee, which contains the colors of the Russian flag – so, as far as I can see, they were not really badgeless.
Rocky: I guess there wouldn’t be any bigger difference then compared to normal.
Liukkonen: Not decisively. With the revelation of the doping system, it has already been seen that there are many ways to circumvent the ban on country codes.
3. If the right to participate is granted, will we see boycotts?
Junnila: Absolutely. I also include visits by political leaders, union bosses and so on, not just athletes, as part of a possible boycott. That’s why I’m so sure there will be a boycott of some sort if participation is allowed.
Rocky: It is possible that someone would go for such a thing – but probably not many.
Liukkonen: Possibly. At best, threatening a boycott works as a good means of pressure, but when it comes to fruition, it unfortunately works against the grain in the sense that the remaining countries have better chances to succeed, and in the case of Russia, for example, there would be even more opportunities to utilize the Olympic brand for national purposes.
4. Is the Russian athletes to Paris theme talked about in sports circles?
Junnila: Talking. A lot has been said in the last year. I myself have discussed the topic both in the Olympic Committee’s athletes’ committee, on the side of the General Athletes’ Association, and informally as well.
Rocky: At least I haven’t heard them talking here.
Liukkonen: Not yet at the moment. As the Olympics approach, the media traditionally highlight threats regarding the implementation of the Games and boycotts. As a result, the matter will certainly come up in sports circles as well, as long as the competitions are approaching.
5. What could the Olympic idea and, even more, sports life do for peace?
Junnila: The Olympic idea, or in practice the IOC, should first define its true values. If peace and human rights are their self-defined values, concrete action must be taken based on them. If concrete is missing, it is not the true values of the movement. Sport, in this case the IOC, has power, and it exercises that power, whether it is acknowledged or not. I hope that this power would be used responsibly.
Rocky: Difficult question. I believe that a lot of things have been tried and are still being tried everywhere.
Liukkonen:Together, it must be made clear to the Russian leadership and all Russians that the international sports community condemns Russia’s actions in Ukraine and that Russian athletes have no business competing in international competitions until Russia withdraws from Ukraine.