The International Olympic Committee seeks to "unite the world" on the sidelines of the Olympic Games, which will take place in Paris this summer. However, will it succeed in making the Games a "peaceful" event that brings countries and peoples closer together? The Olympic Charter prohibits any "political propaganda" on the field or the podium but allows it in the Olympic Village or during press conferences. How will ongoing conflicts, particularly the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, manifest at the Olympics starting on July 26?
**Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine**
Due to the outbreak of war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022 and Belarus's support for Moscow, the possibility of gathering athletes from these three nationalities at the Paris 2024 Games seemed unlikely. Russians and Belarusians were banned from the Olympics until March 2023, while Ukrainians threatened to boycott the Games if these athletes participated. However, since Kyiv abandoned this position in the summer of 2023, the International Olympic Committee has worked to gradually reintegrate Russians and Belarusians into international competitions under strict conditions. This includes participating personally under a neutral flag and not being "active supporters of the war in Ukraine" or contracted with the military or security agencies. The body also prohibited holders of these nationalities from participating in the opening ceremony on the Seine River in Paris. It approved the qualification of 28 Russians and 19 Belarusians under a neutral flag, currently limited to nine fields: wrestling, trampoline, road cycling, weightlifting, shooting, tennis, rowing, judo, and canoeing, with the list expected to expand. This number is very small compared to the participation of Russians (330) and Belarusians (104) in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. These "neutral athletes" will be under constant surveillance, as any display of support for the Russian military operation in Ukraine, such as showing the Z symbol, could lead to "immediate disqualification from the Olympics," according to International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach.
**Palestinians and Israelis**
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas, the International Olympic Committee has tried to maintain neutrality, affirming its support for a "two-state solution" and recognizing both the Palestinian and Israeli Olympic committees since 1995. Therefore, it has never worked to present Israeli athletes under a neutral flag, despite the relentless Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which has destroyed key sports institutions in the territory and killed prominent figures in the Palestinian sports community, according to the Palestinian Olympic Committee. In mid-June, the head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, expressed hope that the Olympic Games would attract more attention to the war in Gaza and the situation in the West Bank, stating that “Paris is a historic moment and a great opportunity to go there and tell the world that it is time to say stop, enough.” According to the International Olympic Committee, the Palestinian body is expected to participate in the Olympics with "six to eight representatives" in Paris under an invitation system. The Olympic system allows a limited number of men and women to participate, even if they do not meet the necessary standards. From the Israeli side, ensuring security remains the top priority, as has been the case in every edition of the Olympics since the Munich Games in 1972, which resulted in the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes. Currently, the Israeli delegation plans to "participate in the opening ceremony like any other team," according to the Israeli Olympic Committee.
**Afghanistan**
The return of the Taliban to power in Afghanistan in the summer of 2021 has created a dilemma for sports authorities, balancing dialogue and pressure to assist athletes and their companions, whether in exile or in their homeland, without agreeing to a ban on women participating in sports. In mid-June, the International Olympic Committee stated that it had received confirmation of the participation of a team consisting of three Afghan athletes (athletics, swimming, judo) and three female athletes (athletics, cycling), without disclosing their identities. All of them live abroad except for the judo player, according to the general director of the Afghan Olympic Committee, Dad Mohammad Bayenda Akhtari. He explained, "Since women's sports are banned in Afghanistan, the three female athletes were not sent from inside the country." Afghanistan, which has the third largest number of refugees in the world, will have five representatives in the refugee Olympic team, including team leader Masoumeh Ali Zadah. She recently told AFP, "I am very happy to have three Afghan women in the Olympics and that they are equal to men."
