The Palestinian Olympic Committee has written to IOC President Thomas Bach and FIFA President Gianni Infantino in an attempt to provoke an international response to Israel’s attacks on Gaza.
The letter called for Israel’s attacks on Gaza to be considered a “violation of the Olympic ceasefire” and for it to be prevented from participating in the Olympic Games to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.
Referring to the IOC’s exclusion of Russia from the Olympics, particularly in the context of the reaction to the Russia-Ukraine war, the letter used the phrase “The IOC and FIFA have taken a firm stance against violations of the Olympic ceasefire in the past” and stressed that a similar step should be taken for Israel.
The letter noted that around 400 Palestinian athletes had been killed and added that “the destruction of sports facilities has exacerbated the already difficult situation of Palestinian athletes.”
The IOC had announced that Russian and Belarusian athletes would be able to compete in the Paris Olympics as “neutral athletes.” It was reported that the Russian and Belarusian flags, emblems and anthems would not be used in the Olympics, and government representatives from both countries would not be invited to Paris for the games.
