I think Russia is still banned from participating as a country due to their continued invasion. I know many of the athletes are competing under a non affiliated nation banner or something like that and they couldn't participate in the opening ceremonies.
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I thought that this year the Israelis would compete under a neutral flag because of the genocide of the Palestinians... But as we can see, double standards have reached sports and the arts.
It doesn't matter how many there are. What matters is that, unlike the Russian flag, no one bans the Israeli flag at games.
Yeah, but they were already banned after Shoci. That ban is still in place, this is just adding another layer. Belarus is new in this game.
The main and most pressing reason for 2024–2026 is political, namely:
- Russia's invasion of Ukraine (since February 24, 2022)
- Violation of the Olympic Truce, which all countries undertake to observe during the Games
- Violation of the territorial integrity of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (the IOC accused the ROC of annexing sports organizations from the occupied territories)
Because of this, the IOC:
- suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) as an organization
- banned the Russian national team from participating as such
- banned the use of the Russian flag, anthem, national uniform, and any other state symbols
Don't think I'm being rude, I just noticed the flag and the committee's double standards.