Global Events Continue... Athletes' Platform for Political Expression? [Paris Olympics]

Rus-Ukr, Israel-Hamas War Continues
Allegations of Doping Cover-up by Chinese Swimmer
Possible Messages Related to Athletes Displayed

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The ‘2024 Paris Olympics’ will open on the 26th amid unresolved major global political events, including two wars and allegations of China concealing doping results. Because of this, there are warnings that the Olympics, often regarded as a ‘festival of human peace,’ could be marred by expressions of opinion and protests related to these issues.

The war in Ukraine, which began with Russia’s invasion in 2022, and the Gaza conflict triggered by a surprise attack from the Palestinian armed group Hamas in October last year, are expected to continue during the Paris Olympics.

Additionally, suspicions that China attempted to conceal doping test results of its swimming team ahead of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics have not subsided. Among the Chinese athletes who competed normally at that time, Zhang Yufei won gold medals in the women’s 200m butterfly and freestyle relay, while Wang Shun won gold in the men’s 200m individual medley. The U.S. investigative authorities, from the ‘swimming powerhouse’ America, are conducting an investigation against the World Aquatics (formerly FINA) to uncover these allegations. Meanwhile, 11 Chinese athletes implicated in the doping suspicions appear to be participating in this Olympics as well. This is because the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) judged that the Chinese athletes did not intentionally consume banned substances and allowed their participation.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported, “Nowadays, athletes are not hesitant to express various political messages, so there is a likelihood that such political issues will also be present at the Paris Olympics.” At the 2022 Beijing Olympics, Ukrainian skeleton athlete Vladyslav Heraskevych held up a paper saying ‘No war in Ukraine’ in front of broadcast cameras after his event. This was intended to raise global awareness of Russia’s threat through the Olympics.

There are also movements among officials from various countries encouraging athletes to actively express political messages. For example, the head of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee advised their athletes to make public statements related to the Russia-Ukraine war.

According to Article 50 of the Olympic Charter, protests, political, religious, or racial propaganda are prohibited in Olympic venues and on the podium. Violations can lead the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to expel athletes from competition or even strip medals. However, it is known that recently these rules have not been strictly enforced, as athletes’ messages are seen more as expressions of peace rather than political statements.

However, WSJ reported that IOC officials plan to pay closer attention to athletes’ political messages at this Paris Olympics. Given the complexity of the issues involved, such expressions could pose challenges to the smooth conduct of the Games.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.