The Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc. is deeply concerned by the International Olympic Committee’s decision to provisionally lift the suspension of the Russian Olympic Committee and withdraw its previous recommendations restricting Russian participation in international sport.
While the IOC’s stipulation that Russian sporting bodies must not incorporate teams or athletes from occupied Ukrainian territories may appear to offer a concession to Ukraine, it does not address the broader and more serious concerns surrounding Russia’s sporting system.
Many of Russia’s elite sporting programs are closely connected to state institutions, including military and security structures, and a number of Russian athletes are themselves uniformed personnel. Russia has also repeatedly used international sport to project state power and rehabilitate its reputation on the global stage, meaning it uses global sporting events to “sports wash” itself – for internal and international PR purposes.
President of the Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc., Peter Bongiorni, said the decision could not be treated as a minor sporting or administrative matter.
“This is a significant step towards normalising Russia within the Olympic movement while Russia continues its war against Ukraine, bombs civilian communities and forcibly removes Ukrainian children,” Mr Bongiorni said.
“Russia’s sporting system cannot simply be separated from the Russian state, particularly where athletes, clubs and sporting institutions are directly linked to military and security structures.”
Ukraine’s experience stands in stark contrast. Ukrainian athletes and Olympians have been killed or wounded after volunteering to defend their country, while others have died in Russian missile and drone attacks. Many continue to train overseas because their homes, training facilities and sporting infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed.
More than 650 Ukrainian athletes and coaches have reportedly been killed, and more than 800 sporting facilities have been damaged or destroyed since Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Russia also has a well-established history of state-sponsored doping, which further reinforces the need for rigorous and independent scrutiny of any Russian athlete seeking to return to international competition.
The Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc. is concerned that, without appropriate safeguards, individuals connected to Russia’s military or state apparatus could be permitted to compete at future Olympic Games without meaningful accountability for their conduct or affiliations.
“It would be appalling to contemplate a future where individuals connected to Russia’s war effort, or potentially implicated in serious abuses, could compete here in Brisbane while Ukrainian victims continue to live with the consequences of occupation, child abduction, sexual violence and war crimes,” Mr Bongiorni said.
The IOC decision does not yet determine whether Russia will compete under its flag, colours and anthem at Los Angeles 2028 or Brisbane 2032. However, it establishes a concerning direction towards Russia’s broader reintegration into the Olympic movement.
As a future Olympic host city, Brisbane should be clear about the values it expects the Games to represent. The Olympic movement must uphold peace, fairness, human dignity and respect for international law. It should not provide Russia with an international platform to rehabilitate its image while its aggression continues.
The Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc. calls on the Australian Government, Queensland Government, Australian Olympic Committee and Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee to raise these concerns directly with the IOC.
At a minimum, Russian national symbols and state representation should remain prohibited while the war continues. Any individual Russian athlete seeking to compete should be independently assessed for support for the invasion, links to the Russian military or security services, involvement with sporting bodies operating in occupied Ukrainian territory, personal involvement in Russia’s war effort, and compliance with international anti-doping standards.
The Ukrainian Community of Queensland Inc. also invites Queensland’s political and civic leaders to hear directly from Ukrainians who have experienced Russian occupation.
“Our community includes children and young people who have spent significant parts of their early lives living under occupation,” Mr Bongiorni said.
“I would welcome the Premier and the Lord Mayor to join me to meet with them, hear what life under occupation was like, and consider whether those experiences should simply be forgotten by the time Brisbane hosts the Olympic Games in 2032.”
Australia and Queensland should not wait until the eve of Brisbane 2032 to determine their position. The decisions being made now will shape the Games Brisbane ultimately hosts.