Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Reuters/Getty
News that the International Olympic Committee will allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in international competitions has enraged athletes from Ukraine and around the world, many of whom are vowing to fight back against the controversial decision.
On Tuesday, the IOC issued recommendations allowing Russians and Belarusians to compete in future competitions as “neutral” athletes, without a flag or other national identifiers—provided they “don’t actively support the war.” The IOC, however, stopped short of giving a final answer on whether athletes from those countries will be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympic Games next year, adding that “IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion.”
Dozens of athletes and Olympians immediately railed against the decision, including two-time Olympic skeleton competitor Vladyslav Heraskevych, who blasted the recommendations as “absolutely wrong” in a conference call Wednesday.