Israel Competes in Olympics 2024, While Russia and Belarus Banned for waging war against Ukraine

While the flags of Russia and Belarus are banned by the IOC for waging war against Ukraine, Israel can still participate in the Olympics even after perpetrating a genocide a Gaza.

The Start: October 7

The full fledged Israeli invasion started upon Gaza after the Hamas attacked southern Israel on October 7, which affected civilians, public events and disrupted the social life of the Israelites. Across many streets, the Hamas militants fired openly upon the Israeli civilians. But this excuse has been used by the Israeli government to perpetrate a genocide against the civilians of Gaza.

An investigation was drawn upon by Human Rights Watch on measuring the crimes against humanity of Hamas upon the Israelites on October 7. A 236-page report made by Human Rights Watch mentioned all the Hamas related crimes over Israel, which tended to violate humanitarian laws. A death toll of more than 1100 people were drawn upon the Israelis by Hamas on that very day. However, what stands so condemning about Israel is that the government led by Netanyahu has used October 7 as a weapon to justify a mass cleaning of the people of Gaza since then. The human cost of Gaza has been much higher than Israel.

A Call to Ban Israel

Many human rights organizations, social groups, and online activists have launched campaigns calling for the expulsion of Israeli athletes from France. According to Pars Today, the leaders of these campaigns assert, “The glorification of human values in the Olympic Games contradicts the oppressive measures of Israel and the genocide of Palestinians by the Zionist regime.”

These activists expected the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to respond to Israeli actions in Gaza, especially since the violence has affected athletes. This expectation is underscored by the fact that the Palestinian Olympic Committee has been recognized by the IOC for years. Notably, the IOC is committed to promoting a peaceful society that values human dignity and respecting fundamental global ethical principles.

Due to the IOC’s stance, Russian athletes will participate in the Paris 2024 Olympics as “neutral athletes” under strict conditions, such as competing without the Russian flag or national anthem. However, when IOC President Thomas Bach was asked if Israel would be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics, he replied that there would be no question on this issue.

It was later announced that 87 athletes from Israel would participate in the games under their national flag.

This decision contrasts sharply with the treatment of Russian athletes, as the Russian special operation in Ukraine is not comparable to the devastation in Gaza by the Zionist regime.

Murdered Palestinian Athletes

The crimes committed by the Netanyahu’s government against Palestinian athletes and the broader community underscore the need to ban this regime from the world’s premier athletic event.

• 350 athletes, referees, and athletic staff have been martyred, according to Palestinian Football Association statistics.
• 250 athletes active in football have been martyred.
• 55 sports buildings have been razed to the ground in Gaza bombings.
• 80% of athletic centers have been destroyed.
• Sports complexes have been turned into detention centers, exploited for detaining Palestinian captives.

Helen Sylert, a Swedish political expert and human rights defender, pointed out that while the IOC has previously banned South Africa, Belarus, and Russia, it remains silent on banning Israel over the Gaza conflict. She stated that this duplicity reveals the hypocrisy of the Western world.

Many in the athletic community and among human rights defenders believe that if the IOC does not change its course, the spirit of the Olympics will be severely compromised.

The Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) has compiled a detailed file and presented it to the IOC, documenting clear instances of Israeli athletes’ actions that blatantly contradict Olympic values.

One account describes how several Israeli athletes, while visiting soldiers deployed near Gaza, shared photos on social media standing beside missiles with signatures. POC Deputy Secretary-General Nader al-Jayooshi commented on this issue, saying that they raised this request due to the violation of human rights in Gaza and the carnage of the innocent. He emphasized that the behavior of these Israeli athletes runs counter to the spirit of the Olympics.

Al-Jayooshi also noted the meetings between these athletes and Israeli soldiers, saying that some of these athletes visited soldiers near Gaza to encourage the Israeli army. For example, a judo champion posted photos on social media standing beside signed missiles with the caption, “From me to you with pleasure.”