African Olympic committees sided last month with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) over whether to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes participate at the Paris 2024 Olympics as neutrals, with no flags or anthems.
In January, the IOC opened the door for Russia and Belarus to qualify at the 2023 Asian Games after they had been restricted from European competitions since last February due to their war against Ukraine. A month later, 35 countries including the U.S. and France signed a letter calling on the IOC to either clarify the definition of “neutrality” and come up with a “workable” plan for the athletes to compete as neutrals or ban them from competing altogether.
The Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa (ANOCA) said it was a unanimous decision to support the IOC’s stance of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to international competition. The move was not surprising considering that ANOCA extended an invite to Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in African qualifying competitions in February.
“It will thus be a question of allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in complete neutrality without any sign of identity in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games,” ANOCA said in a statement. “Politics cannot put pressure on sport and withdraw from it all its nobility values which revolve around peace, unity and solidarity… The athletes must in no case pay the heavy price of a conflict whatever it is and wherever it is.”
Ukraine has threatened to boycott the Olympics if Russia participates, even as neutrals. The IOC has defended its position by claiming that “no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.”
Russia and China are all over Africa. This is not surprising. And to be fair… why should they care? They haven’t forgotten what having a “strong” Europe means for them.
Now, don’t get me wrong… Russia is the absolute worst and Putin can go f himself for all I care. But I get why they don’t give a damn whether Europe or Ukraine are happy.
Africa is just going to have to learn the hard way. They’re in for a nasty surprise if aligning themselves with Russia.
Let Russian and Belorussian athletes compete in Africa. That is the world they belong with.
Zero surprise. While the west focuses on other places geopolitically, China and Russia have been pouring money, people and resources into Africa and South America for over a decade now.
This vote isn’t going to go the way the West thinks it’s going to (or should).
Sure, China and Russia have dramatically increased their investments in Africa in recent years.
But…
https://www.statista.com/statistics/188594/united-states-direct-investments-in-africa-since-2000/
It still doesn’t come close to the holistic US investment in Africa, though in certain buckets China is higher.
I think the reality is that Africa sees the higher potential investment from Russia, China, etc. in the future. And, with fewer strings attached for the people who benefit directly from that investment.
Fewer known strings. They’ll only truly discover what strings are attached the hard way further down the line.
The strings are tied to *someone else*. The people who are benefitting don’t have to answer that call.
The investment has been significant, particularly with regards infrastructure and military, since at least the 80’s.
I’m sure that no money changed hands while these African federations were deliberating the issue.
Africa dances to anything China wants so this is unsurprising
Let Africa,Russia and China have their own Olympics.Everybody,s happy.
Sure… but that’s not the point of the Olympic Games, is it?
Unanimous is surprising but siding with the IOC isnt