Where she went to bed, there is the motherland, or "Neutral" athletes at the Olympics

The IOC welcomes Russia's return to international sport. What do 13 "neutral" Russians look like at the Winter Olympics in Italy in this regard? The observer argues about this Pravda.Ru Lyubov Stepushova.

The delegates of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) expressed their readiness to welcome Russia's return to participation in the main competitions. The removal of the sports boycott was considered this week at the IOC meeting, writes The New York Times. IOC President Kirsty Coventry did not directly mention Russia in her address, but stressed: "Our game is a sport. And sport should remain a neutral platform."

Earlier, the IOC has already gone to mitigation, removing restrictions on the participation of Russian juniors in international competitions. Also, FIFA President Gianni Infantino recently called for the removal of the "ban" from Russia so that the national team could participate in the qualifying rounds for future tournaments. Infantino said that the suspension "achieved nothing", but only "created more frustration and hatred."

The reasons for this "epiphany" are not sudden remorse, but more than prosaic… Firstly, there is no unconditional political pressure from the United States, and the influence from Europe has weakened due to legal difficulties: The IOC fears discrimination lawsuits that could result in huge fines. Secondly, Russian sports officials have done a good job in the federations, since the process of easing sanctions started with them (water sports, fencing, volleyball). They have already started returning Russians to their tournaments, which creates pressure on the IOC and FIFA to make a systemic decision. The International Boxing Association under the leadership of Umar Kremlev was the first to return Russia to the competition as a full-fledged national team.

Thirdly, the global partners of the IOC (TOP program) demand a "clean" product without scandals and boycotts. This forces sports officials to seek a compromise, as the absence of leading athletes reduces TV ratings and advertising revenues. In addition, the countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America have increased pressure on the IOC, demanding compliance with the Olympic Charter and equality of all athletes, regardless of the policies of their states. Their arguments are convincing: Israel and the United States are not deprived of participation, although their policy in Gaza is genocide. If you do not take this position into account, the IOC will fall into two camps, which again will lead to financial losses, depreciation of records.

At the Winter Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, athletes from the Russian Federation still compete in neutral status - in cross-country skiing, figure skating, luge and alpine skiing. There are only 13 of them.

To obtain the status of AIN (Individual Neutral Athlete), an athlete must meet a number of strict criteria. Among them: the lack of active support for SMO in social networks and performances, existing contracts with CSKA and Dynamo, as well as the obligation not to perform the anthem and use Russian symbols (even as a hair clip) and the presence of a certain number of doping samples taken by international agencies (ITA) outside Russia.

Athletes are required to sign a document in which they confirm that they do not represent the Russian Federation and undertake to comply with the conditions of neutrality.

What is the future of these "neutral" athletes in Russia? It seems that it has little prospects, especially after the end of a sports career, so many will go abroad. This is their choice, and every Russian makes his choice whether to empathize with them or not.