Part of a series on |
2024 Summer Olympics |
---|
|
There are various concerns and controversies relating to the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Part of the opening ceremony for the 2024 Summer Olympics will happen on the Seine, the first time such a ceremony is to be held on a river, something which has led to several concerns. [1] [2]
In February 2024, the French government announced that, as a security precaution, the number of spectators for the opening ceremony across the Seine would be reduced from 600,000 to 300,000. This plan was proposed by Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin in 2022. [3] A security perimeter around the area being used for spectator access is planned to be erected in the days ahead of the games, limiting access for the public. The reason for using the Seine, as a public outside space, is to make the opening ceremony accessible to many more people than usual. [1] Tourists and other pedestrians will not be able to watch the ceremony on the Seine; there will be an opportunity to register for free tickets. [2]
Part of the plan to ensure security for public viewing space around the Seine was to remove the bouquinistes – traditional booksellers with distinct riverside boxes – from the banks of Seine. The booksellers strongly campaigned against their boxes being moved, even if they had to be closed, with President Emmanuel Macron eventually ruling that they should not be moved and requesting a different security plan. Macron said that the bouquinistes are part of the city's "living heritage". [4]
Many resident Parisians expressed their concern that the games would disrupt their day-to-day lives. Polls showed that half of residents were planning to leave the city, and three-quarters were worried about transport and security at the games. However, the Head of the Paris Olympics Organising Committee, Tony Estanguet, has stated that the "magical" Olympics would be worth the disruption. [5]
A news report in The Times cited an analysis by Dragonfly, a security and geopolitical firm, by which the level of terror threats for the Paris 2024 Games remains "severe", including the potential use of bombing drone attacks. It was reported that the British Olympic Association will provide an app to athletes and staff, so they can have access to instant help and the ability to share their location with security staff. [6]
The main airports in Paris will be closed on 26 July during the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games for security reasons. Security perimeters will be set up around the event venues, strictly restricting the movement of cars, including taxis. [7]
A petty thief, known to Paris police for stealing bags on public transport, stole the bag of a member of Paris Town Hall staff containing some security plans for the Olympic Games; it was later confirmed that no sensitive information was in the bag, with the thief being sentenced to seven months in jail. [8]
French financial prosecutors raided Paris 2024 Olympics headquarters on 18 October 2023 and also targeted event management firms. The raids were part of an investigation opened into suspicion of "illegal taking of interest, favoritism and concealment" involved in the awarding of various contracts. [9]
A report from France's external digital interference fighting body uncovered that several Azerbaijani websites and fake social media profiles attempted a disinformation campaign, downplaying the French's ability to organize the games and threatening a boycott. [10] The smear campaign is believed to be in retaliation for French military support of Armenia since 2020 following the outbreak of conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Microsoft's Threat Analysis Center reported that Russia conducted a disinformation campaign targeting the 2024 Paris Olympics in retaliation for French military support of Ukraine amidst their war against Russia. Using fake videos, news stories, and AI-generated impersonations, including Tom Cruise's voice, Russian cyber-actor groups Storm-1679 and Doppelganger aimed to tarnish the reputation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and incite fears of violence. They released a fake documentary titled "Olympics Has Fallen" and spread false claims of terrorism-related ticket cancellations and insurance purchases. Doppelganger also intensified anti-Olympics messaging and forged content to smear Emmanuel Macron. Microsoft suspected these groups circulated fake graffiti images threatening a repeat of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre. [11]
The mascots for the Games are The Phryges, anthropomorphic phrygian caps. Plush toys of the mascots were produced, advertised as French companies. The manufacturing sector of these companies was mostly located in China, however, with the toys being made in China a subject of criticism in France. [12]
The Olympic poster for the Summer Olympics was revealed in March 2024, a surrealist cartoon rendering of Paris with several landmark buildings and symbols of the city and the country. Detractors believe that the poster art has removed symbols of Christianity and French identity. Several right-wing French politicians criticising it for being "woke", and described it as an attempt to "cancel" France's history or being ashamed of having national pride. The largest complaint was that the Dome des Invalides, part of a monument to France's military history, did not include the cross on the top. [13] [14]
French newspaper Libération reported that workers were being paid around €80 ($86.7) per day without any official declaration, social security, or resting day. Some workers expressed anger and dissatisfaction as they never receive the salary guaranteed on the contract, while some said that there are no proper safety materials for them when doing high risk jobs. [15]
In April, migrants from several makeshift camps in Paris were evicted forcefully from their homes, in what aid groups have called a campaign of "social cleansing" ahead of the Summer Olympics. [16]
The potential participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes has remained controversial amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In February 2022, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended sports federations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participating in international tournaments, citing the violation of the Olympic Truce. [17]
In January 2023, the IOC announced plans to introduce Russian and Belarusian athletes as neutrals. On 26 January 2023, The Olympic Council of Asia invited Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, under a neutral flag and without possibility to win medals and win Asian quota places on Olympic Games. [18] The IOC also published a statement stating that it supported the return of Russian and Belarusian athletes, as long as they did not "actively" support the war and as long as their flag, anthem, colours, and organizations were excluded (thus preventing them from competing under the Russian Olympic Committee as in Tokyo 2020 and Beijing 2022). The IOC also compared the situation to the Independent Olympic Participants at the 1992 Summer Olympics. [19]
On 1 February 2023, the United Nations released a report, commending the IOC for considering reinstating Russian and Belarusian athletes, and urged IOC to make sure that "no athlete should be required to take sides in the conflict", basing it on "international human rights standards on non-discrimination." [20]
On 31 January 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the Russian Olympic Committee and the Ministry of Sport must make a concrete decision on whether Russian athletes will participate in the 2024 Olympics. [21] [22] While it was expected that Russia would have boycotted the Olympics for the first time since 1984, Russia has stated that it does not intend to boycott. [23] [24]
On 3 February 2023, the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees of the five Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) issued a joint statement opposing the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. [25] [26] Countries which had then threatened a boycott included Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine. [27] [28]
That month, the IOC president, Thomas Bach, stated that it should not be up to national governments to decide who gets to participate in international sporting tournaments. [29] On 22 March 2023, Bach further reiterated his support for reinstating Russian and Belarusian athletes, opposing "any suggestion that Russians should be treated as if they have collective guilt". [30]
On 10 March 2023, the International Fencing Federation (FIE) became the first Olympic governing body to officially reinstate Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials, in time for the start of the qualification for the 2024 Games. [31] Protesting this decision, Denmark, [32] France, [33] Germany, [34] and Poland [35] cancelled upcoming World Cup fencing events to prevent Russians and Belarusians from participating. In April 2023, it was revealed that the European Fencing Confederation had sent a critical letter to the FIE, outlining their opposition to the FIE's plans to strip the countries, that had indicated they would not grant visas to Russians and Belarusians, from hosting rights and impose sanctions on them. [36]
As of May 2023, after the International Canoe Federation (ICF) reinstated Russian and Belarusian athletes, the number of summer sport international federations to do so had risen to 10. [37]
In October 2023, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), which had previously sent independent Russian athletes to the Olympic Games, due to violations of the Olympic Charter – specifically, for incorporating Ukrainian sporting bodies from annexed Ukrainian territory into the Russian body, and so violating the integrity of the Ukraine Olympic Committee. [38] Russia challenged this in the Court of Arbitration for Sport; in February 2024 the appeal was declined. This worsened tensions between the IOC and ROC, with Thomas Bach saying in March 2024 that Russia only has itself to blame, also using strong words to criticise the tone used by Russian politicians and the systemic doping by the Russian state. [23]
The participation of Israeli athletes became a point of contention following the outbreak of the Israel–Hamas war. The IOC warned Arab and pro-Palestinian athletes that they would be banned from participating if they refuse to compete with Israeli athletes, [39] recalling the case of Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine, who was suspended for 10 years by the International Judo Federation for refusing to fight Israeli athlete Tohar Butbul during the 2020 Summer Olympics. [40] An IOC spokesman stated that "The IOC is committed to the concept of individual responsibility and athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments," adding that the IOC will "ensure that swift action is taken, as during the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020." [41] [42]
Palestinian sports organizations and sports organizations from Arab countries have called for sanctions to be imposed against Israel and to prevent its participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics due to the war. The calls from the organizations have been prompted by concerns about the war's impact on Palestinian athletes and sports facilities. [43] [44] The calls have come with comparisons to Russia and Belarus, who were banned following the former's invasion of Ukraine and whose participants were only allowed under the Individual Neutral Athletes (AIN) label.
In February, 26 left-wing French lawmakers sent a letter to the IOC, urging sanctions against Israel, and calling for a ban on Israeli athletes competing under their flag and anthem. The lawmakers cited Israel's alleged war crimes in the Gaza Strip as the reason for their stance. They proposed that Israeli athletes participate neutrally, similar to Russian and Belarusian athletes, during the Games. [45] [46]
In January 2024, over 300 Palestinian sports clubs called for Israel to be barred from the 2024 Olympics after Israeli airstrikes had killed Palestine's Olympic football team coach, and damaged the headquarters of the Palestine Olympic Committee in Gaza. [47]
In March 2024, IOC President Thomas Bach stated that there was no issue regarding Israel participating at the 2024 Summer Olympics. [48] Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo stated, "Sanctioning Israel in relation to the Olympic and Paralympic Games is out of the question because Israel is a democracy." [49]
There was also concern expressed for the Israel Olympic football team, who may have to play in stadiums around France and stay outside the high-security Olympic village. The organisers confirmed that, since the Munich massacre, there have always been special measures to make Israeli delegations feel comfortable. [23]
In May 2024, Israel disallowed its wrestling delegation from traveling to a qualifying event in Turkey due to alleged security concerns, therefore disqualifying the delegation from the 2024 Olympics. Approximately one week earlier, Turkey had barred all imports and exports from Israel. [50]
In November 2023, Russia accused the IOC of having double standards by not sanctioning Israel due to its military actions in Gaza, as Palestine is also an IOC member. The IOC's response to the comparisons to Russia was that the recommendations adopted on Russia and Belarus resulted from the violation of the Olympic Truce that was in force at the time, Russia's violation of the Olympic Charter following their annexation of four Ukrainian Olympic councils, and Russia's two previous violations in 2008 and 2014. [51] [52] American academic and former professional soccer player Jules Boykoff described the double standards as "glaring" and questioned the IOC's treatment of Israel compared to Russia stating, "If taking over sports facilities are a red line, why silence as Israel converts Gaza’s historic Yarmouk Stadium into an internment camp?". [53] Boykoff has also stated that Israel's various settlements in the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights "would be in clear violation [of the Olympic charter] in the same way as what Russia has done". [54]
Afghanistan's participation in the 2024 Summer Olympics has become uncertain after falling under Taliban control in August 2021. [55] The Taliban has banned women from playing sports since retaking Afghanistan in August 2021. [56] Friba Razayee, the first female judoka in Afghanistan's history to participate in the 2004 Summer Olympics, has called on the International Olympic Committee to ban Afghanistan from participating in the 2024 Summer Olympics, the first ban for the country since 1999 during the first Taliban takeover of the country. [57] In this regard, the IOC Executive Board announced that it would allow Afghanistan to send a mixed-gender team to the 2024 Summer Olympics. [58] [59]
Organisers plan to host the surfing competitions in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, where they plan to build a nine-ton aluminium tower for the judges. Harsh criticism was drawn from locals and surfers, saying that it threatened damage to the coral reef and that the currently existing wooden tower could be used. A barge struck the reef and damaged it earlier in 2023, which caused construction to be paused. Multiple surfers have protested against the building of it and a local petition against building it gathered 239,000 responses. [60]
The 2023 Paris bedbug infestation caused concerns amongst locals and government officials about the heavy influx of visitors to the city and the risk of another outbreak during the Olympics. [61]
In July 2020 (and reconfirmed in September 2020, January 2021 and September 2021) by public written notice, the FIE had replaced its previous handshake requirement with a "salute" by the opposing fencers, and written in its public notice that handshakes were "suspended until further notice." [62] [63] [64] [65] Nevertheless, in July 2023 Ukrainian four-time world fencing individual sabre champion Olga Kharlan was disqualified at the World Fencing Championships by the FIE for not shaking the hand of her defeated Russian opponent, though Kharlan instead offered a tapping of blades in acknowledgement. [66] [67] The next day, the IOC president Thomas Bach sent a letter to Kharlan, where he expressed empathy for her and that in light of the situation, she was being guaranteed a spot in the 2024 Summer Olympics. [68] [69] [70]
The British Home Nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) compete in association football individually, but field a combined Great Britain women's Olympic football team. [lower-alpha 1] Qualifying events are still played separately, with England representing Great Britain. The European qualification tournament for the 2024 Summer Olympics saw England have to play fellow Home Nation Scotland to qualify, with Great Britain's qualification ultimately coming down to England needing to score as many goals as possible against Scotland in the last group match. The system allowing this scenario to happen was heavily criticised, and there were some suggestions that Scotland may throw the match as this would allow them (as part of Great Britain) to have a chance to qualify. England won the match 6–0 but Great Britain did not qualify. [71] [72] [73]
The Saudi Arabian Olympic Committee wanted to build an Olympic village at the site of Les Invalides, a historic military complex, drawing criticism in France. The Ministry of Armed Forces is in discussion with Saudi Arabia, while a French politician said that the site is "not for sale". [14] [74] [75]
On 24 April 2024, The New York Times revealed that 23 athletes on the Chinese swimming team were found to have the illegal drug Trimetazidine in their system 7 months before the 2020 Olympics, but were cleared by the Chinese Anti-Doping Agency (CHINADA) and then the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to participate in the games, with some of them going on to win medals. [76] [77] This sparked heavy criticism from the United States Anti-Doping Agency and cast doubt on WADA's ability to clear athletes for the 2024 games from regulators and athletes alike. [78] Even small amounts of the drug counts for a disqualification, and Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva also used the substance and was cleared by Russian authorities, though WADA appealed it and she was banned for 4 years with her results disqualified. [79] [80]
The International Olympic Committee is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The Fédération Internationale d'Escrime, commonly known by the acronym FIE, is the international governing body of Olympic fencing. Today, its head office is at the Maison du Sport International in Lausanne, Switzerland. The FIE is composed of 155 national federations, each of which is recognized by its country's Olympic Committee as the sole representative of Olympic-style fencing in that country.
The International Judo Federation (IJF) is the international governing body for judo, founded in July 1951. Today the IJF has 200 National Federations on all continents. There are over 20 million people around the globe who practice judo, according to the IJF.
The 2024 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Paris 2024, are an upcoming international multi-sport event scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024 in France, with Paris as the main host city and 16 other cities spread across Metropolitan France, plus one subsite in Tahiti — an island within the French overseas country and overseas collectivity of French Polynesia.
Vadym Gutzeit is a Ukrainian Olympic champion sabre fencer, and former Ukraine's Youth and Sport Minister, as well as the president of the Ukrainian Fencing Federation and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine.
The most popular sport in Russia is soccer. According to Yandex search analysis results rating of the most popular sports among Russians: "Football topped the list of the most popular sports in Russia" with 5 to 10 million requests. Ice hockey came in second with handball, basketball, futsal, boxing, auto racing, volleyball, athletics, tennis, and chess rounding out the top ten rankings. Other popular sports include bandy, biathlon, figure skating, weightlifting, gymnastics, wrestling, martial arts, rugby union, and skiing.
Olha Hennadiivna Kharlan, also known as Olga Kharlan, is a Ukrainian sabre fencer. She is a four-time individual women’s world sabre champion, and a four-time Olympic medalist. She has been ranked #1 in the world in women's sabre for five years: in 2012–14, 2017–18, and 2019–21.
Thomas Bach is a German lawyer, former foil fencer, and Olympic gold medalist. He has served as the ninth and current president of the International Olympic Committee since 2013, the first-ever Olympic champion to be elected to that position. Bach is also a former German individual foil champion, and former member of the German Olympic Sports Confederation's executive board.
The European Fencing Confederation is an international body created in 1991, charged with the promotion and development of fencing in Europe. It organises the European Fencing Championships annually at several levels: cadets (U17), junior (U20), under 23, seniors and veterans.
Stanislav Alekseyevich Pozdnyakov is a Russian former fencer, five-time Olympian (1992–2008), and five-time Olympic medalist in individual and team sabre competitions who is currently serving as president of the Russian Olympic Committee. He is also a ten-time individual and team world champion, in 1994–2007. In 2022, he was removed from his position as European Fencing Confederation (EFC) president at an Extraordinary Congress following a unanimous vote of no confidence in Pozdnyakov, due to his conduct in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Ilgar Yasharovich Mammadov is a Soviet and Russian of Azerbaijani origin who serves as President of the Russian Fencing Federation, and a former fencer. He is a two-time Olympic and one time world champion in team foil.
The Russian Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee representing Russia. Its president is Stanislav Pozdnyakov. On 12 October 2023, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) suspended the membership of the Russian Olympic Committee.
Andriy Anatoliyovych Kozhemiakin is a Ukrainian politician and a former security service officer.
The Russian Fencing Federation is the governing body for the sport of fencing in Russia. It was created in 1992. FFR was formerly a member of the European Fencing Confederation, but its membership was suspended in 2023. It is a member of the Russian Olympic Committee. No Russian fencers will compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Authorised Neutral Athlete (ANA) is a capacity under which athletes can compete at international sporting competitions without representing their nations, as is standard convention under the Olympic Charter. As of August 2022, only Russian and Belarusian athletes of some sports have competed or are competing within the ANA capacity.
Konstantin Lokhanov is a Russian sabre fencer living in San Diego, California, in the United States. Lokhanov was ranked # 1 in the world in cadet sabre in both 2014 and 2015. He was then a two-time World Junior Sabre Individual Champion, and ranked # 1 in the world for both those years. In 2021, he competed in sabre at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The following year, appalled by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he defected to the United States. He said: "I decided I could no longer live in a country that kills innocent Ukrainians." He is a now member of USA Fencing.
Ukraine is scheduled to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris from 26 July to 11 August 2024. It will be the nation's eighth consecutive appearance at the Summer Olympics in the post-Soviet era and the first since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The fencing competitions at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris are scheduled to run from 27 July to 4 August at the Grand Palais strip. A total of 212 fencers, with an equal distribution between men and women, will compete across twelve medal events at the Games. For the second straight time, Paris 2024 will witness both men and women fence against each other in the individual and team events held in all three weapons.
This article details the qualifying phase for fencing at the 2024 Summer Olympics. The competition will comprise a total of 212 fencers, with an equal distribution between men and women, coming from the different NOCs, similar to the Tokyo 2020 roster size. Qualified NOCs can enter a maximum of eighteen fencers, with each consisting of a trio, whether men's or women's, across all weapon-based team events.
Individual Neutral Athletes is the name used to represent approved Russian and Belarusian athletes at the 2024 Summer Olympics, after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) banned the nations' previous designations due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The IOC country code is AIN, after the French name Athlètes Individuels Neutres.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)