AMTV/LAUSANNE, March 27 – The 11th Olympic Summit that met on 9 December 2022, consisting of the leaders of all stakeholder groups of the Olympic Movement, had requested the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to explore a pathway for athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport to return to international competitions as Individual Neutral Athletes. Following a four-month consultation period, the IOC Executive Board (EB) discussed this request today.
The EB reiterates that the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 was not considered either in the consultations or in its deliberations today. The IOC expressly reserves the right to decide about their participation at the appropriate time, even if they would be considered to have qualified according to the qualification criteria set by their respective International Federations (IFs).
Following the request of the Olympic Summit, extensive consultations and discussions took place with all Olympic Movement stakeholders: the IOC Members, the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the IFs and the global network of athletes’ representatives. The IOC EB also issued a statement on 25 January 2023, entitled: Statement on solidarity with Ukraine, sanctions against Russia and Belarus, and the status of athletes from these countries.
During these consultations, all Olympic Movement stakeholders once again reiterated their support for the IOC’s call for peace. The Olympic Movement continues to make its contributions to any peace-building efforts. It feels deeply for the Ukrainian people and the Ukrainian Olympic community, whose pain and suffering are beyond imagination.
It was also emphasised that the Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. This is the realm of politics. But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another. They can inspire us to solve problems by building bridges, leading to better understanding among people. They can open the door to dialogue and peace-building in ways that exclusion and division do not.
Solidarity with Ukrainian athletes reaffirmed
The IOC EB today reaffirms the steadfast commitment of the entire Olympic Movement to help Ukrainian athletes in every way possible, in order to see a strong team from the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. In order to achieve this, the IOC has tripled its Solidarity Fund for the NOC of Ukraine to USD 7.5 million.
At least 3,000 Ukrainian athletes and other members of the Olympic community of Ukraine have benefitted from the IOC Solidarity Fund through the NOC of Ukraine over the past 12 months, and from direct assistance from other Olympic Movement stakeholders, including the IFs and the NOCs. These efforts have taken the form of financial and logistical support, in order to ensure that Ukrainian athletes can continue to train and take part in competitions by providing travel support, training facilities, accommodation, equipment and uniforms, amongst other items.
Sanctions against the Russian and Belarusian governments must remain in place
The IOC EB reiterates today its condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of the Olympic Truce that was in effect at the time, and of the Olympic Charter. For this reason, the IOC has already sanctioned the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, who are solely responsible for this war, in an unprecedented way. In particular, the IOC has recommended that:
no international sports events be organised in Russia and Belarus;
no flag, anthems or other national symbols whatsoever should be displayed at any international sports events; and
no government or state officials should be accredited for or invited to any international sports events.
These sanctions were put in place in February 2022 and were then reinforced and confirmed by the Olympic Summit on 9 December 2022. The IOC EB today underlines that they remain firmly in place.
Political interference in sport
In the most recent series of consultations, the Olympic Movement stakeholders reiterated their firm rejection of any political interference in the autonomous authority of sports organisations to decide on participation in their competitions. This clear and strong reaction to political interference was considered necessary, because if governments took over the decisions regarding which athletes can take part in which competitions, it would be the end of world sport as we know it today.
Sports organisations must have the sole responsibility to decide which athletes can take part in international competitions based on their sporting merits and not on political grounds or because of their passports.
In all the deliberations, particular attention was paid to the views from the Ukrainian sports community. The 70 other ongoing armed conflicts and wars around the world (source: Crisis Group, CrisisWatch Database) were also considered, including the situations in the Middle East, the Horn of Africa, and the southern Caucasus. It was noted that NOCs in the regions impacted by these armed conflicts and wars are following the principles of the Olympic Charter. They are not requesting the exclusion of athletes from the other party in the armed conflict or war, and they are allowing their athletes to compete in international sporting competitions without restrictions.
Human rights considerations
The Olympic Movement stakeholders also saw a need to address the protective measures for athletes and officials with a Russian or Belarusian passport that are currently in place, particularly in the context of the adoption of the “Sport as an enabler of sustainable development” resolution (A/77L.28) by the United Nations General Assembly on 1 December 2022. This resolution recognises that “major international sports events should be organised in the spirit of peace, mutual understanding and international cooperation, friendship and tolerance, and without discrimination of any kind, and that the unifying and conciliative nature of such events should be respected”. It also explicitly acknowledges: “the Olympic Charter, and that any form of discrimination is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement”. It was passed by consensus by all UN Member States, including the governments of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus.
More recently, judgments by the Court of Justice of the European Union further confirmed that sanctions cannot solely be based on a person holding a passport from a particular nation, nor can they be applied simply on the basis of affiliation.
In addition, the urgent request expressed by the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance of the United Nations Human Rights Council was also taken into account.
They said on 1 February 2023: “UN experts today commended the International Olympic Committee for considering allowing individual athletes from Russia and Belarus to take part in international sports competitions as neutral athletes. We urge the IOC to adopt a decision in that direction, and to go further, ensuring the non-discrimination of any athlete on the basis of their nationality.”
The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights also joined the meeting of the IOC Advisory Committee on Human Rights on 16 and 17 March 2023 and spoke with the athletes’ representatives in their call on 24 March 2023. She also addressed the IOC Members, NOCs and IFs in their consultation calls. In her remarks she considered the legal arguments provided by the NOCs of Ukraine and Germany. Please find here the transcript of the introduction to her remarks.
The IOC has to rely on the authority of the UN Special Rapporteur, who is appointed by the UN “to raise awareness… draw the attention of governments and others on alleged human rights violations… ask that the violations are prevented, stopped, investigated, or that remedial action is taken.” This is exactly what the Special Rapporteur has done.
International sports competitions
During the consultations with the Olympic Movement stakeholders, which extended over a period of four months, the vast majority of the stakeholders were clear that they want a pathway to be opened for the competitions under their sole authority. They requested from the IOC recommendations in order to harmonise their approach, in the event that they decide to admit athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport to their competitions. The IOC strongly recommends taking such a decision only with the provision that it can be revoked at the discretion of the IF concerned.
Following this request, the IOC EB today issues to IFs and international sports event organisers the following recommendations:
Athletes with a Russian or a Belarusian passport must compete only as Individual Neutral Athletes.
Teams of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport cannot be considered.
Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered.
Athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete. Support personnel who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot be entered.
Any such Individual Neutral Athlete, like all the other participating athletes, must meet all anti-doping requirements applicable to them and particularly those set out in the anti-doping rules of the IFs.
The sanctions against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments, must remain in place:
No international sports events organised or supported by an IF or NOC in Russia or Belarus.
No flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications whatsoever of these countries displayed at any sports event or meeting, including the entire venue.
No Russian and Belarusian government or state official can be invited to or accredited for any international sports event or meeting.
No decision on Paris 2024 or Milano Cortina 2026 participation
The IOC EB confirmed that these recommendations do not concern the participation of athletes and their support personnel with a Russian or Belarusian passport at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 or the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. The IOC will take this decision at the appropriate time, at its full discretion, and without being bound by the results of previous Olympic qualification competitions.
Throughout the application of the above-mentioned exemptions by the IFs, the IOC will closely monitor the full implementation of these recommendations by all parties concerned. The results of this monitoring procedure will be an important factor in the decision by the IOC concerning the participation of athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport in the Olympic Games Paris 2024 and the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026.
6月22日伦敦讯，英国首相基尔·斯塔默（Keir Starmer）今天在伦敦唐宁街10号门前发表了辞职讲话。他宣布将辞去英国首相及工党党魁职务，这将开启英国在十年内迎来第七位首相的进程。此前，斯塔默曾一度力顶工党内“造反派”压力，拒绝辞职要求。 斯塔默在讲话中表示，他已于今天与查尔斯国王进行了交谈；他预计将继续留任，直至工党内部选出继任者。他在唐宁街10号门外说道：“我所在的党派目前正在探讨的问题是，我是否是带领大家参加下届大选的最佳人选。我已经听到了党内议员对此给出的答案，并坦然接受这一结果。” 斯塔默自2020年起领导工党，并在2024年大选中胜出任职英国首相。其继任者预计将由工党内部选出。 斯塔默表示，他已要求工党高层于7月9日启动继任者提名程序。他未透露自己何时迁出唐宁街10号，但预计新任首相将在9月议会结束夏季休会复会时就职。 斯塔默已历经数月的动荡局面；工党内部分成员批评其领导不力，认为他在接替保守党长达14年的执政后，未能实现所需的迅速变革。 在5月地方选举中，英国工党在地方议会失去了1000多个席位；这一结果被广泛解读为英国选民对工党在斯塔默领导下表现的否定。选举过后，许多工党成员致信斯塔默，要求他下台。 截至今天，针对斯塔默首相职位的正式挑战尚未启动，但近几周来，工党内部分成员已公开表示支持大曼彻斯特市前市长安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）作为其潜在继任者。伯纳姆刚在6月19日的补选中胜出，成为代表梅克菲尔德（Makerfield）的国会议员；预计他将于今天在下议院宣誓就职。伯纳姆被视为潜在的英国首相候选人。 在斯塔默宣布辞职消息后，伯纳姆在社交媒体上表示，他将寻求获得工党领袖竞选的提名。伯纳姆表示：“人们希望看到在经济增长、生活成本、公共服务、住房以及为下一代创造机会等方面取得进展，政治变革绝不应让人忽视改善民众生活的责任。” 另一位潜在的继任者，曾任斯塔默内阁卫生大臣、后于5月刚辞职的议员韦斯·斯特里廷（Wes Streeting）今天表达了对伯纳姆的支持。 斯特里廷在一份声明中说：“我们可以把整个夏天花在夸大彼此间细微的分歧上，也可以卷起袖子，帮助[伯纳姆]实现我们党和国家所需要的变革，这就是我的选择，我也希望大家都能支持安迪。” 斯塔默此前曾一直表示，他打算完成为期5年的完整任期。该任期始于工党在2024年大选中取得的压倒性胜利，那次胜利也让工党在下议院获得了历史性的多数席位。 欧盟委员会主席乌尔苏拉·冯德莱恩（Ursula…
6月21日瑞士日内瓦讯，伊朗由议会主席加利巴夫（Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf）率领的谈判代表团，今天在瑞士谈判会场拒绝与美国副总统万斯及美方代表合影，随后在抗议特朗普的威胁下退出谈判。 一名伊朗代表团成员表示，由于特朗普总统以及黎巴嫩的战争，美伊和平谈判现已全面暂停。 美国副总统万斯仍在瑞士率领美方谈判团队；据消息人士透露，目前各方正努力促使美伊谈判重回正轨。 此前，就在伊朗代表团和美方代表在瑞士即将开始谈判之际，特朗普总统今天在美国媒体福克斯新闻（Fox News）上公开警告称：如果伊朗真的采取行动封锁霍尔木兹海峡，他们将“失去国家”，甚至“根本无法活着回到自己那该死的国家”。当时，美伊双方的谈判代表正在瑞士准备开始会谈。 特朗普总统还对福克斯新闻记者特雷·英斯特（Trey Yingst）说，如果必要的话，美国“可能会接管该海峡”，届时他会把伊朗“炸个稀巴烂”，并且美国将对过往船只征收通行费。 美伊之间6月17日签署的谅解备忘录要求霍尔木兹海峡保持开放，以及以色列停止对黎巴嫩军事行动。伊朗6月20日指出，美国和以色列拒绝执行停火协议，持续袭击黎巴嫩，导致伊朗再次宣布将关闭石油运输关键咽喉要道霍尔木兹海峡。美国方面则否认伊朗拥有对该海峡的控制权，并表示该水道目前依然畅通。 此外，伊朗总统马苏德·佩泽希基扬（Masoud Pezeshkian）今天表示，伊朗将坚持其发展核计划的权利。 据伊朗官方媒体报道，佩泽希基扬表示：“可以肯定的是，我们绝不会在铀浓缩权利的问题上退让，而对方也不得不接受这一点。” 美国一直坚持指控伊朗浓缩铀的丰度已远超大多数非军事用途所需的水平，铀浓缩问题成为美伊核谈判中的主要争议焦点。特朗普总统长期以来一直主张伊朗应放弃所有铀浓缩活动，万斯副总统上周也重申了美国的此项“红线”立场。但伊朗已经明确拒绝了美国的主张，并始终坚称该国的核计划旨在和平用途。 美国保守派政治新闻记者塔克·卡尔森（Tucker…
6月21日华盛顿讯，美国总统特朗普今天表示，英国首相基尔·斯塔默（Keir Starmer）将会辞职，并指出这位英国领导人在处理英国移民和能源政策方面遭遇了彻底失败。 特朗普总统在社交媒体平台“真实社交”上发文称：“基尔·斯塔默将辞去英国首相职务。他在两个至关重要的议题，移民和能源（开放北海石油！）上彻底失败了。祝他一切顺利。” 有说法称，斯塔默最早将于6月22日周一辞职；被视为英国首相潜在人选的安迪·伯纳姆（Andy Burnham）将在同一天宣誓就任英国下议院议员，他是在上周赢得一场补选后获得这一席位的。 此前有报道称，斯塔默预计将决定辞职，或者面临伯纳姆对其工党领袖地位发起的挑战。不过，斯塔默曾公开誓言留任首相，但随着越来越多工党同僚意识到他的任期已所剩无几，他正面临日益增长的压力。 数月来，针对斯塔默的不满情绪日益高涨；尽管他曾在2024年7月带领工党赢得压倒性选举胜利，但如今工党议员们正急于扭转该党支持率下滑的颓势。 自上任英国首相以来，斯塔默在兑现促进经济增长和改善公共服务的承诺方面步履维艰，同时还因一些“自找麻烦”的举动，例如任命已故美国性交易罪犯杰弗里·爱泼斯坦（Jeffrey Epstein）的朋友彼得·曼德尔森（Peter Mandelson）为英国驻美大使而饱受诟病。 曼德尔森最终因与爱泼斯坦的关联被迫辞职，并于今年2月被捕，被指控向爱泼斯坦泄露政府机密及对市场敏感的信息。 特朗普总统与斯塔默多次发生冲突，尤其是在伊朗相关冲突的问题上。 尽管美英两国是长期盟友，但特朗普总统对英国不参与对伊朗军事行动的决定提出了严厉批评，他在指责斯塔默时称“我们面对的可不是温斯顿·丘吉尔（Winston Churchill)”。 不过，在英国由于民众对油价上涨感到愤怒，这场涉及伊朗的冲突并不受到欢迎。
6月21日瑞士日内瓦讯，美国副总统万斯（JD Vance）与其他美国谈判代表今天在瑞士一处度假胜地与伊朗官员举行了一次罕见的面对面会晤；与此同时，美伊两国针对伊朗核计划谈判也进入了为期60天的冲刺阶段。 正当美伊谈判代表今天在瑞士会晤之际，特朗普总统突然发出威胁称，如果伊朗不立即制止黎巴嫩真主党“惹是生非”，美国将重启对伊打击。 特朗普总统今天在社交媒体平台““真实社交”上写道：“伊朗必须立即制止其在黎巴嫩高薪豢养的代理人惹是生非，如果他们不这么做，我们将再次重创伊朗——就像上周那样，而且力度会更大！！！” 美伊两国上周同意将停火协议延长60天，从而争取时间就一项更长期的协议进行谈判。然而，以色列与伊朗支持的黎巴嫩真主党之间在美伊签署和平协议后，仍就持续不断的交火，使美伊谈判变得复杂。伊朗指称以军对黎巴嫩的攻击和存在违反了停火协议，但以色列却表示自己没有参与美伊谈判，并不应受该协议约束。 一位外交官对媒体表示，针对黎巴嫩战事的紧急会议已被列入此次瑞士会谈的议程，因为以色列与黎巴嫩真主党（Hezbollah）之间的冲突正危及美伊之间的停火局面。6月20日夜间，以色列再次袭击黎巴嫩造成十余人丧生；而就在数小时前，3位知情外交官曾透露，以色列与黎巴嫩真主党已达成停火协议结束战斗。 伊朗6月20日表示将再次关闭霍尔木兹海峡，并指责美国和以色列违反了谅解备忘录（MOU)，以色列军队不仅未从黎巴嫩南部撤出，而且继续对黎巴嫩发动进攻。 一位中东官员指出，主导谈判的特朗普总统特使与美国国务卿马尔科·鲁比奥（Marco Rubio）步调不一致，特别是在针对以色列与黎巴嫩真主党冲突的应对策略上。 消息人士称，卢比奥此前一直致力于在外交层面上将美伊战争与以黎冲突区分开来；然而，该谅解备忘录的第一项内容却提到了永久结束黎巴嫩局势，这实际上绕过了卢比奥的既定策略。 该消息人士表示，以色列官员认为，特朗普总统的特使在谅解备忘录中纳入黎巴嫩问题的决定，是对伊朗的一种让步。 尽管美伊双方已达成停火协议，但以色列在黎巴嫩境内的战事仍在持续。据该地区消息人士透露，以色列此举不仅可能导致谈判首日即告破裂，甚至可能危及整个美伊停火进程。
6月21日瑞士日内瓦讯，美国副总统万斯（JD Vance）于今天早些时候抵达瑞士，旨在协助启动新一轮与伊朗的谈判；美国和伊朗上周签署和平协议后，伊朗指责美国违背上周刚签署和平协议，并宣布再次关闭霍尔木兹海峡 ，原因是以色列持续攻击黎巴嫩。 万斯于当地时间清晨6点前抵达瑞士，将与白宫特使史蒂夫·威特科夫（Steve Witkoff）及特朗普总统的女婿贾里德·库什纳（Jared Kushner）一同参加新一轮美伊会谈。 万斯表示，他预计将停留一两天，期间美伊双方团队将致力于为更广泛的会谈确立框架，力争达成一项持久协议。 瑞士官员6月20日证实，伊朗代表团已经抵达，并正前往预计将举行会谈地点比尔根山（Bürgenstock)。 此次会谈原定于6月19日，并举行面对面签署和平协议仪式，但瑞士外交部6月18日突然宣布，涉及美国、伊朗、卡塔尔和巴基斯坦的预定谈判已被推迟。 据美国新闻网站Axios 报道，伊朗外交部长阿巴斯·阿拉格希（Abbas Araghchi）预计也将参加此次会谈。 此前，美国总统特朗普6月17日在法国凡尔赛宫举行的七国集团（G7）峰会结束后，以电子方式与伊朗签署了一份谅解备忘录（MOU），而此次谈判正是在此之后数日进行的。当时签署的和平协议确立了为期 60 天的停火，并勾勒出两国旨在结束冲突的更广泛谈判框架。…
6月20日菲律宾马尼拉讯，菲律宾官员今天表示，在菲律宾总统小费迪南德·马科斯（Ferdinand Marcos Jr.）与俄罗斯总统弗拉基米尔·普京（Vladimir Putin）会晤并表达关切后，俄罗斯释放了24名在西伯利亚伊尔库茨克市被无指控拘押数月的菲律宾人。 菲律宾外交部表示，这24名获释的菲律宾人定于6月21日凌晨分两批抵达菲律宾首都马尼拉；首批人员将由菲律宾外交部副部长特蕾莎·拉扎罗（Theresa Lazaro）迎接，她曾陪同马科斯于6月17日在俄罗斯喀山（Kazan）与普京举行会谈。 目前担任东南亚国家联盟（ASEAN）轮值主席的马科斯，率领东盟11国集团领导人出席纪念东盟与俄罗斯建立外交关系35周年峰会，并且还在喀山峰会期间与普京举行了双边会晤。 在马科斯于6月17日表达关切后，这些菲律宾人获释的进展相当迅速。菲律宾是美国在亚洲的重要条约盟友，也是投票支持联合国大会谴责俄罗斯2022年全面入侵乌克兰决议的多数东盟成员国之一。 马科斯去年与美国总统特朗普总统会在白宫椭圆形办公室面，商讨贸易事宜后，特朗普总统宣布菲律宾输美商品的关税税率将定为19%，同时菲律宾也将取消对美国进口商品征收的所有关税。 新加坡是东盟成员国中唯一对俄罗斯实施制裁的国家。新加坡总理黄循财也出席了在俄罗斯喀山举行的东盟峰会。 马科斯在与普京举行双边会晤后告诉记者，他表达了对一批菲律宾人的关切；这些人已在西伯利亚东南部的伊尔库茨克市被拘留了约9个月，且未受任何指控。他表示，菲律宾方面没有关于他们状况的其他信息。 菲律宾官员称，有报道指出，这些菲律宾人可能是非法就业招募活动的受害者，并因涉嫌违反移民法规而在俄罗斯被拘留。 普京告诉马科斯，他此前并不知晓这一问题，但承诺会进行调查。马科斯说，在6月17日的晚宴上，普京告知他，这些菲律宾人并未受到任何不当行为的指控。马科斯转述普京的话说：“别担心，我们会想办法解决这个问题。” 马科斯表示，菲律宾代表团最终收到俄罗斯官员通知，称这些菲律宾人将被立即遣返回马尼拉。据菲律宾驻莫斯科大使伊戈尔·拜伦（Igor Bailen）介绍，约有1.5万名菲律宾人在俄罗斯各地生活和工作。