Olympic Committee reaffirms neutrality policy after US-Israel strikes on Iran

The International Olympic Committee issued a statement following the Olympics American and Israeli military strikes On Iran.

The International Olympic Committee shared the statement on Fox News Digital in response to a query asking whether the committee considered the US and Israeli strikes on Iran a violation of the rules of the game. Olympic Truce. The statement concludes by saying “discussions are ongoing” on how best to support the IOC’s commitment to the principles of neutrality.

“In a world rocked by conflict, division and tragedy, with the loss of life and tragedies being experienced by so many, now more than ever, the IOC stands firm in its belief that sport must remain a beacon of hope – a force that brings the whole world together in peaceful competition,” the statement said.

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“This is the essence of the Olympic Movement and is derived from the Fundamental Principles of the Olympic Movement. The principle of neutrality of the Olympic Movement was recently reaffirmed by the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee. Strengthening this approach and ensuring that it remains relevant in the future is fundamental to the discussions of an ad hoc working group in the context of the process of preparing for the future.”

The committee’s most recent reference to the “principle of neutrality” was a statement issued on September 19, early in US military action against Venezuelan targets.

“In a world rocked by conflict and division, the IOC Executive Board (EB) stands firm in its belief that sport must remain a beacon of hope – a force that brings the whole world together in peaceful competition. This is the essence of the Olympic Movement and is derived from the Fundamental Principles of the Olympic Movement,” the September 19 statement said.

Following the January 2 US operation against Venezuela that captured its former dictator Nicolas Maduro, the IOC provided a statement to Fox News Digital in response to a question about whether the operation would result in the United States being excluded from the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. The committee ruled out imposing any penalty on the USA team.

“As a global organisation, the IOC has to manage a complex reality. The IOC has to deal with this reality Current political context And the latest developments in the world.

“The ability to bring athletes together, no matter where they are from, is fundamental to the future of global values-based sport, which can give hope to the world.

“For this reason, the IOC cannot directly intervene in political matters or conflicts between countries, because they fall outside our jurisdiction. This is the world of politics.”

Since 2023, some activists around the world have called for Israel to also be punished by the International Olympic Committee over the war in Gaza.

The International Olympic Committee directly rejected a request from the Spanish government to prevent Israel from participating in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics next September.

The International Olympic Committee said in a statement to Spanish media: “The Israeli National Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Olympic Committee are recognized by the International Olympic Committee and have the same rights. They both comply with the Olympic Charter and we continue to work with them to mitigate the impact of the current conflict on the athletes.”

Russian athletes They 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 Winter Olympics in Beijing in February 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 raged, some athletes on the US and Israeli national teams were affected by Iranian counterstrikes in Israel.

National Israel Gymnastics team He has All training suspended The team’s activities amid the recent Iranian counterattack on the country following US-assisted strikes on Iran.

““The current security situation in our region has led to unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and created uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, especially as we are at the start of the international season.” Israeli Gymnastics Federation IGF said in a statement to Fox News 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 the closure of airspace causes great stress and anxiety. However, the safety and well-being of our gymnasts and professional staff remains our top priority. We sincerely hope for safer and calmer days ahead, when we can focus solely on sports.”

A source within the team told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts were moving between bunkers when the Iranian counterstrikes began.

At least three American women’s basketball players Currently stuck in the countrywhere South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley led 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 the country’s professional team, watched Iranian missiles and drones explode within viewing distance, while she is currently trapped in Jerusalem.

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“It’s my reality now. It’s a war zone. Now it’s so routine, you sit and wait for an alert on your phone, you wait for the siren, you go to a shelter in place, you wait until it’s all clear, and you do it again, and you do it again, and you do it again,” she told Fox News Digital.

Evacuations of American citizens from the Middle East have begun, a senior State Department official told Fox News Digital on Tuesday.

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