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The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued a statement following US and Israeli military strikes against Iran.
The IOC shared the statement with PK Press Club Digital in response to an inquiry asking whether the committee considered U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran a violation of the Olympic truce. The statement ends by saying that “discussions are ongoing” about how best to uphold the IOC’s commitment to its principles of neutrality.
“In a world shaken by conflict, division and tragedy, with lives lost and tragedies experienced by so many, now more than ever, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains steadfast in its belief that sport must remain a beacon of hope – a force that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition,” the statement read.
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“It is at the very heart of the Olympic Movement and flows from the fundamental principles of Olympism. The principle of neutrality of the Olympic Movement was recently reaffirmed by the IOC Executive Board. Strengthening this approach and ensuring that it remains relevant in the future is at the heart of discussions undertaken by a dedicated working group in the context of the Fit for the Future process.”
The committee’s recent reference to its “principle of neutrality” was a September 19 statement, which came at the time of the first U.S. military actions against Venezuelan targets.
“In a world shaken by conflict and division, the Executive Board (EC) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains firm in its conviction that sport must remain a beacon of hope, a force that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. This is at the very heart of the Olympic Movement and flows from the fundamental principles of Olympism,” we can read in the September 19 press release.
After the Jan. 2 U.S. operation against Venezuela that captured its former dictator, Nicolás Maduro, the IOC issued a statement to PK Press Club Digital in response to a question about whether the operation would lead to the U.S. being banned from the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics. The committee ruled out any penalty against the American team.
“As a global organization, the IOC must manage a complex reality. The IOC must face the current political context and the latest developments in the world,” the statement said.
“The ability to bring athletes together, no matter where they come from, is fundamental to the future of a truly global, values-based sport that can give hope to the world.
“For this reason, the IOC cannot get directly involved in political issues or conflicts between countries, because these do not fall within our competence. This is the domain of politics.”
Since 2023, some activists around the world have called for Israel to also be penalized by the IOC for the war in Gaza.
The IOC directly rejected a request from the Spanish government to exclude Israel from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics in September.
“The National Olympic Committee of Israel and that of Palestine are recognized by the IOC and have the same rights. Both respect the Olympic Charter and we continue to work with them to mitigate the impact of the current conflict on athletes,” the IOC said in a statement to Spanish media.
Russian athletes have been banned from competing in the Olympics since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. Russia invaded Ukraine just four days after the closing ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics in February of that year, in violation of the Olympic truce clause in the IOC charter. Russia also placed Ukrainian athletes there under the control of the Russian Olympic Committee.
As the war rages, some athletes on the U.S. and Israeli national teams have been affected by Iranian counterattacks in Israel.
Israeli national gymnastics team suspended all team practices and activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack against the country following U.S.-backed strikes against Iran.
“The current security situation in our region has led to unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created great uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, especially as we are at the start of the international season,” said the Israeli Gymnastics Federation (IGF) said in a statement to PK Press Club Digital.
“At this time, all training activities have been temporarily suspended, pending approval from the relevant authorities to safely resume operations. Naturally, the suspension of training and closure of airspace causes considerable stress and worry. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our highest priority. We sincerely look forward to safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on the sport.”
A source within the team told PK Press Club Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts were moving between bomb shelters when the Iranian counterattacks began.
At least three American women’s basketball players are currently stranded in the country, with South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley leading a public effort to bring them home.
Destiny Littleton, a former NCAA and Team USA women’s basketball player who moved to Israel in November to play for a professional team in the country, has seen Iranian missiles and drones explode within sight while she is currently stuck in Jerusalem.
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“This is my reality right now. It’s a war zone. Right now it’s pretty routine, you sit there, you wait for an alert on your phone, you wait for a siren, you go into shelter in place, you wait for the green light, and you do it again, and do it again, and do it again,” she told PK Press Club Digital.
Evacuations of U.S. citizens from the Middle East have begun, a senior State Department official told PK Press Club Digital on Tuesday.
