3 Comments
User's avatar
bernice mennis's avatar

thank you, Alan. I heard about this last night...and I agree totally with what you wrote. To honor those athletes killed is to honor those athletes...

A question: was Russia not permitted to come? And Israel, was it boycotted? And thank you

Alan Stern's avatar

Hi Bernice. Thank you for your comment. To answer your questions, yes, Russia is banned probably until at least 2028 for their invasion of Ukraine. Israel is not boycotted but Palestine is, which is causing a controversy. The Israeli athletes were booed at the opening ceremonies.

MaryLou Stern's avatar

This is the same IOC that banned Russia for the very reason this athlete wanted to honor his countrymen. And as long as Russian athletes do not support the war, they can compete as Individual Neutral Athletes. How are these not political statements by the IOC?