It is still unclear whether Russians and Belarusians will be allowed to take part in the Olympic Games. There is contradiction from the German sports world. The federal government even decides on entry bans.
The swimmer Mykhailo Romanchuk has won many times in his life: European Championships, World Cup medals, bronze and silver at the Olympics. He holds records, including an Olympic one: seven minutes, 41 seconds, 28 hundredths for 800 meter freestyle. It was a different time, back at the 2021 Tokyo Games. Several months later, Russia began a war of aggression that took away his training facilities, his everyday life and his home.
Romantschuk, 27, has been living in Germany for a year and a half. Life is different here, he says – a new culture, a foreign language. The Ukrainian is training in Magdeburg, together with German swimmers. The war has struck where it once roamed. “A lot has changed, many swimming pools have been destroyed,” he says. A few weeks ago, according to official information, it hit a sports complex in Dnipro, where Romanchuk was preparing for the Olympic Games. According to Ukraine, 343 sports facilities have been destroyed or damaged so far and 340 athletes and coaches have died.
Romantschuk continues to compete and also traveled to this year’s World Championships in Japan. But the war accompanies him no matter where he is. “It’s mentally difficult to do my job and think all the time about how I can help Ukraine,” he says. “You always think: What’s going to happen today?” Nobody knows where the next rocket will go.
Swimmer Romantschuk competed at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July.
Re-admission with consequences
So far, Romantschuk has not had to compete against Russians and Belarusians in his competitions. The World Swimming Federation had excluded both countries. Last week he announced so-called neutral athletes to start again. The prerequisites are, among other things: no active support for the Russian invasion, no anthems, no national flags. In addition, only one athlete from Russia and Belarus is allowed to start in a competition.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended the exclusion shortly after the start of the war – but the withdrawal followed after more than a year. Since then, Russian and Belarusian athletes have been able to compete again under certain conditions. The world associations implement the recommendations independently, so they are not obliged to do so.
The return to fencing showed what consequences this can have: after a victory, the Ukrainian Olha Charlan refused to shake her Russian opponent’s hand, and a little later she was disqualified for this. An outcry followed. The world association lifted the suspensionIOC President Thomas Bach even guaranteed Charlan a place at the Olympics.
“It’s just chaos”
There is criticism of the IOC recommendations, including from Germany. Léa Krüger, fencer and athlete representative, speaks out against re-admission. “The basic point is that Russian sport has been enormously exploited by the state in recent years,” she says. And lists: Russian state doping, the disregard for the Olympic peace, the propaganda during the war. “We have seen athletes who appeared at political events with the ‘Z’ on their chest,” says Krüger, who sits on the executive board of the German Athletes Association. In these aspects, a limit has been exceeded that justifies exclusion.
With regard to the IOC, the fencer says: “The number one priority now is to ensure the protection of Ukrainian athletes.” Care must be taken to ensure that they are not exposed to situations that are unacceptable – such as in the Charlan case. “This could and should have been avoided.”
Krüger says a “patchwork quilt” has emerged in the sports world. That means: sometimes athletes are allowed, sometimes not. She observes that the world associations are “a bit overwhelmed” because there are no clear definitions. Those responsible must be given something concrete to work with. “What we are experiencing right now is just chaos.”
“Minority in international Sports”
When asked, the President of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB), Thomas Weikert, said: A few months after publication of the recommendations, we can see that the world associations are sometimes acting very differently. This leads to uncertainty and represents a particular emotional burden, especially for the athletes, said Weikert.
He emphasizes that the DOSB called for the exclusion of Russian and Belarusian athletes at an early stage. “Nevertheless, we have acknowledged that with this unchanged stance, we, as one of 206 National Olympic Committees worldwide, belong to a minority in international sport and that a decision by the IOC must always take into account the divided opinions around the world,” said Weikert.
Ministries decide Entry bans
The Ministry of the Interior, which is responsible for sport in Germany, is also against the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes. As long as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his war, approval is the completely wrong approach, it says in writing.
The authorities are taking their own measures. Opposite tagesschau.de The Interior Ministry explains that it was agreed with the Foreign Office that Russian and Belarusian athletes would not be allowed to take part in international competitions in Germany if they were close to the state. In concrete terms, this means: No Schengen visas will be issued. Proximity to the state can be assumed if the applicant belongs to state institutions or receives financial donations from state-owned companies. Only those who are “demonstrably” not connected to state structures should be able to participate.
German boycott excluded
The Interior Ministry and the DOSB agree that there should be no separate Olympic boycott. According to President Weikert, the only people who suffer are the athletes. However, it is important to the association that Ukrainians take part in the games in Paris. “Also to send a strong public signal of the Ukrainian people’s will to survive,” said Weikert. According to the Interior Ministry, there have already been several discussions with the Ukrainian side on the question of a boycott.
Ukraine itself does not exclude a waiverRussia and Belarus should take part in the games. Ukrainians can currently take part in competitions – if Russians and Belarusians are considered so-called neutral athletes compete – but whether this is a variant for the Olympics remains to be seen.
The swimmer Romantschuk has already qualified for the games. But he says he is not prepared to share the warm-up area with Russians or see them in the Olympic Village. “In my opinion they shouldn’t be allowed to compete.” Nevertheless, the swimmer would compete against neutral athletes as long as they were proven not to support the war. “If I have to, I’ll show them that I can do my best without home.”