Russia’s 10 years of armed aggression against Ukraine have made the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international sports events a hotly contested issue.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC), which had suspended Russian participation in 2015 over a long-running doping scandal, banned its officials as well after the Kremlin included occupied Ukrainian territories in its Olympic organizing group in 2023. The latter suspension was upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the ruling demonstrated the need for universal respect for the “territorial integrity of nations and the United Nations Charter,” and condemned Russia’s use of sports as a weapon.
Despite this, the IOC agreed to permit Russians to participate as so-called Individual Neutral Athletes in the 2024 games in France at the end of July. As Russian missiles continue to hit Ukrainian cities and front-line positions, killing Ukrainian athletes and destroying sports facilities, the participation of Russians in international competition raises serious issues.
Ukrainian athletes signed a joint letter to President Emmanuel Macron and other French leaders in December arguing that Russian participation is a breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter and urging them to block all Russian athletes.
While Vladimir Putin is hardly the first despot to use sports as a tool of foreign policy, the Kremlin is following a well-tested strategy as it seeks to mend its reputation and make the case for participation.
Moscow argues it is wrong to mix politics and sports and set “political” requirements as a prerequisite for participation. After the International Paralympic Committee banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from the Paralympic Games of March 2022, the Kremlin complained it went against “one of the main principles of the Paralympic family — the apolitical nature of sport for the disabled.”
Opponents of Russian involvement pointed out that Moscow’s pattern of invading neighboring countries in the shadow of the games was itself a violation of the principles of the Olympic Truce.
The Russian Olympic Committee has also claimed attempts at isolation make Russian athletes victims and “hostages of political games,” reflecting double standards at the top of world sports.
The attempt to appropriate the rhetoric of victimization while his troops are perpetrating extensive war crimes is seen in the West as yet another example of Putin’s own double standards, but his goal is to find more receptive audiences in other parts of the world.
Russia also argues that nationality or citizenship cannot be grounds for banning its athletes. Excluding all Russians eliminates a person’s identity and is discriminatory, the Kremlin argues, using the situation to amplify its narrative that the West is waging a war against all Russians.
Yet many Russian athletes who take part in international events are part of the Central Sports Club of the Russian Army and have military ranks. They are able to compete in the Olympics provided they do not “actively support the war” and are not contracted by the Russian military or security services.
Russia’s regime meanwhile exploits its athletes by seeking their support for the war. This manifests itself in many ways. A dedicated account, Ukrsportbase, keeps track of their engagements with military-related activities in support of Ukraine’s destruction.
Many join Russian government marches and celebrations, while others, like Yago Abuladze and Ivan Kulyak, openly show support for Russian soldiers at the frontlines or have displayed the “Z” symbol during international competitions. While the IOC has excluded a number of Russian athletes over their support for the war or military affiliation, more thorough vetting is needed.
Former Russian athletes argue the return of Russians as Individual Neutral Athletes shows the world knows the Olympic Games are untenable without Russia, a position that echoes the Kremlin’s narrative of Russia’s enduring and inevitable presence in world affairs.
Beyond arguments about the neutrality and apolitical nature of sports, Russian propaganda is also ramping up disinformation campaigns against France, President Macron, the IOC, and the Paris Games.
According to the Microsoft Threat Analysis Center, these campaigns blend traditional disinformation tactics with artificial intelligence and aim to tarnish the IOC’s reputation and create an expectation of violence during the Olympics.
The center said the sophisticated and evolving nature of the disinformation campaigns marks an escalation of Moscow’s long-standing practice of targeting the Olympics, with activities expected to intensify as the July 26 opening ceremony approaches.
The admission of Russian athletes helps Kremlin propaganda, as it compartmentalizes public affairs and mirrors the Kremlin’s approach to geopolitical matters as its troops continue to kill Ukrainians.
This rhetoric and propaganda need to be countered. The international community must do right by the Ukrainians in the face of Russia’s exploitation of the principles of peaceful global cooperation and neutrality. Sports are now and have long been Russia’s foreign policy by other means.
Oleksandr Seredyuk is a former Intern with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Policy Analysis. He holds an M.A. degree in Comparative International Relations from Ca’Foscari University of Venice, Italy.
Elena Davlikanova is a Democracy Fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis. She is an experienced researcher and in 2022 was co-author of ‘The Work of the Ukrainian Parliament in Wartime’ and ‘The War of Narratives: The Image of Ukraine in Media.’
Europe’s Edge is CEPA’s online journal covering critical topics on the foreign policy docket across Europe and North America. All opinions expressed on Europe’s Edge are those of the author alone and may not represent those of the institutions they represent or the Center for European Policy Analysis. CEPA maintains a strict intellectual independence policy across all its projects and publications.
War Without End
Russia’s Shadow Warfare
CEPA Forum 2025
Explore CEPA’s flagship event.
