On Friday, December 8, the IOC (International Olympic Committee) decided to admit Russians and Belarusians to the 2024 Olympics in Paris under a neutral flag, and without the participation of teams.
The decision was preceded by long (since March 2023) discussions. A number of IOC sports officials were in favor of admitting Russian athletes, while many were opposed. Different sports federations were also divided in their opinions. Athletes from other countries believed that one should not punish their colleagues in this way by not allowing them to participate in the Games. But the unambiguous fact is that all sports competitions became less interesting and exciting without the participation of bright and strong athletes from our country.
So, the IOC decision has been made, but how should the athletes themselves react to it? After all, the dream of every Olympian is to win and stand on the podium under the flag and anthem of their country.
On the one hand, the decision of the Olympic Committee infringes on the rights of athletes, and perhaps a number of them will refuse to participate in the games under such conditions.
On the other hand, an athlete from childhood deprives himself of many joys of life, trains exhaustingly and goes to achieve results, for example, to win the Olympic Games. And sports life is very short – in many sports athletes end their active career already at the age of 20-25. And who knows if there will be another chance to participate? And most likely, many athletes will want to compete at the Games in Paris.
Which one of them is right? I think both. Each of them will make the only decision that is right for themselves.
