When it comes to the Olympics, a major sporting event, there is an understanding that sports should not be intertwined with politics. But over the years, there have been instances where this was just not the case.
The controversy of the 2024 Paris Olympics, currently taking place in France, lies in Israel being allowed to participate while it is committing genocide in the Gaza Strip.
Before clarifying why Israel should have been banned from the Paris Olympics, let us consider previous examples of politics intertwined with the Olympics.
1924, Paris; the ban of Germany following World War I continued, though Austria, Bulgaria, Turkey and Hungary were allowed to compete.
1948, London; Germany and Japan were barred from participation because of the Second World War.
1964, Tokyo; South Africa was banned by the IOC from taking part due to its oppressive apartheid regime.
The Olympics committee can decide who to bar from the games.
The flag-bearer of Israeli team at the Paris 2024 Olympics was Peter Paltchik, a Ukrainian-born Israeli judoka who signed bomb shells aimed at Palestinian children in the Gaza Strip.
Given the IOC stance that violators of international peace should not partake in global events like the Olympics, it beggars belief that Israel has not been banned, especially, since Russia has been banned for its military operations in Ukraine.
Shouldn't the IOC consider whether it is appropriate for any nation condemned by the International Court of Justice for grave violations to compete without addressing its international obligations first?
Currently Russian and Belarusian athletes are banned from the 2024 Paris Games due to Moscow's military operation in Ukraine.
The ban only allows the athletes to compete under a neutral banner, not their countries. A neutral banner means competing without their country's flags, emblems, or colors.
The Russian national anthem has also been barred and replaced with music commissioned by the IOC. Russia was even banned from participating in the opening ceremony where each athlete represents their country through the national flag.
In essence, the Olympics Committee wants to send a message that it recognizes neither Russia nor Belarus as countries, yet it allows a child killing regime, which has murdered about 39,500 Palestinians, to participate.
Well, this smacks of double standards and hypocrisy.
There is a growing international outcry for Israel to be banned from this summer’s Olympic Games being held in Paris.
