UK: IOC says London should respect 'autonomy of sport'

The International Olympic Committee has called on the British government to respect the “autonomy of sport.” This follows an attempt to persuade sponsors to go against a proposed pathway that would allow athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete in the games next year in Paris.

The IOC said on Monday that governments have no say in determining which athletes can participate in the Olympics. The IOC added that the responsibility lies with the sports organizations who can decide which athletes can compete in the international games.

“It is not up to governments to decide which athletes can participate in which international games. This would be the end of world sport as we know it,” said the IOC. “We hope very much that the British government will respect the autonomy of sport.”

“It must be the sole responsibility of sports organizations to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based exclusively on their sporting merit,” the IOC went on to say. “In accordance with this, Olympic sponsors are not involved in this decision-making process.”

The statement by the IOC follows last week’s letter by British culture secretary Lucy Frazer to 13 of the biggest Olympic sponsors, urging them to pressure the IOC to abandon the proposal. The IOC has already sanctioned Russia and Belarus following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine last year. However, the IOC has been reluctant to exclude Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Olympics out of fear of a return to the Cold War-era boycotts.

In January, the IOC unveiled a pathway for Russian and Belarusian athletes to earn spots in Asian qualifying and compete as neutral athletes in Paris. Neutral athletes are not considered to be representing their countries, and their successes will not include flying flags or playing the national anthems.

Meanwhile, British finance minister Jeremy Hunt is set to announce on Wednesday how he plans to speed up the country’s economy following the repercussions of Brexit, the COVID-19 pandemic, and inflation. Hunt has dismissed calls from lawmakers under the governing Conservative Party for tax cuts to be implemented in time for the 2024 elections.