Resolution 2507 (2023)1Provisional version

War of aggression against Ukraine – Participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics?

Parliamentary Assembly

1. The Parliamentary Assembly condemns once more, in the strongest terms, the full-scale war ofaggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine, with the complicity of the Belarusian regime.The consequences of this deliberate flouting of international law reverberate far beyond the borders ofUkraine or even of Europe: all regions of the world are affected.

2. No means can be spared to demonstrate our entire repudiation of the Russian and Belarusianleadership and regime. Politicians and public authorities must lead the way, but major organisations andinstitutions acting in the public and private sphere should also stand up, bringing the weight of their moralauthority and renown to the public consciousness.

3. The sporting world is an influential societal actor which, at national, regional and global level, wieldsimmense economic, social, and even political leverage and whose decisions have a huge resonance anddeep global impact. At its best, sport brings together countries, societies, people and cultures to a playing fieldwhere differences can be put aside and the exchanges are based on values such as mutual respect, diversity,equality and inclusion. And for these same reasons, the Assembly considers that the sporting world musttoday play its role in responding to a situation in which a major world power has thrown aside its obligationsunder international law with such devastating consequences.

4. In April 2022, the Assembly’s Committee on Culture, Science, Education and Media welcomed the callsby the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which urged all International Sports Federations to relocate orcancel their sports events planned in the Russian Federation or Belarus and recommended to InternationalSports Federations and sports event organisers not to invite or allow the participation of Russian andBelarusian athletes and officials in international competitions. Moreover, the 17th Council of EuropeConference of Ministers responsible for Sport (Antalya, Türkiye) adopted on 26 October 2022 a Resolution inwhich the Ministers condemned the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine and considered that theRussian Federation and Belarus should not be represented in international sport as long as this aggressioncontinues.

5. Concerned by the ongoing debate within the IOC on the possibility for athletes with a Russian orBelarusian passport to participate in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as “neutral athletes”, thesame committee organised a hearing in April 2023 with the participation of invitees active in the ongoingdiscussions on this question. At this hearing, Assembly members listened to different points of view, includingpositions on the need to ensure non-discrimination in sport, the wish to keep sport separate and independentfrom politics and State intervention, as well as further details about the criteria for neutral participation

1. Assembly debate on 22 June 2023 (18th sitting) (see Doc. 15795, report of the Committee on Culture, Science,Education and Media, rapporteur: Ms Linda Hofstad Helleland). Text adopted by the Assembly on 22 June 2023(18th sitting).

https://pace.coe.int

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