Will Israel be banned from the Olympics?

As Israel continues its bombardment of Palestinians in Gaza, in an act described by the United Nations Secretary General António Guterres as a “clear violation of international humanitarian law,” the International Olympic Committee needs to decide if they will ban them from the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

So far, the IOC has remained consistent in its messaging, with a spokesperson telling German news outlet DPA: “The IOC is committed to individual responsibility, and athletes cannot be held responsible for the actions of their governments.”

Yael Arad, Israel's Olympic Committee head, told AFP Israeli athletes will, "be in the opening ceremony," as they believe the event will be made as safe as possible despite some concerns around safety.

This, of course, is inconsistent with previous rulings. For nearly 60 years South African athletes were banned from the Olympics in protest of the Apartheid regime in the country. Similarly, Afghanistan was banned from the 2000 games due to the Taliban’s poor treatment of women.

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It is worth noting Russia’s ban is purportedly for their systemic doping during the 2016 games, with athletes having to compete under the Olympic Athletes from Russia banner rather than their continued invasion of Ukraine. As it stands, Russian athletes will continue to be allowed to compete, so long as they haven’t publicly supported the Ukraine invasion.

Given the precedent set, and the inconsistency of action by the IOC, there seems to be a moral paradox at play. Some actions are disavowed by the games organisers, whilst others are ignored, with athletes, many of whom are in support of their country’s actions, will be allowed to compete.

Israel has been formally charged by South Africa for war crimes, with the trial taking place in The Hague. Should the International Court of Justice rule against them, will the IOC change their mind on the matter? It, at the very least, would set a legal precedent that what Israel is doing is unjust and akin to genocide, which perhaps could spur the IOC into action.

South Africa, in their continued pursuit of international moral consistency following nearly a century of race-based oppression, is reportedly looking to file war crimes claims against the USA and UK for their involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan and their support of Israel since the October 7th attacks.

Given the apparatus available, should the IOC be used to cast a moral judgment on such situations? Should all countries that commit horrendous acts of violence be banned from the Olympics? If yes, there aren’t many left. However, the precedent they have set for themselves behooves them to act now and maintain some level of moral consistency.

Many claim it’s best to keep sport and politics separate, something that is impossible to do, especially when it comes to the Olympics. Often used as a staging ground to showcase a country’s superiority, China, Russia (previously the Soviet Union), and America have battled to prove their ideology trumps all. After all, let's not forget that 1936 saw Hitler launching Nazism on the world stage. Sports and politics are forever intertwined.

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