The International Olympic Committee Pursues Russia While Turning a Blind Eye to Israel’s Crimes Against Palestinian Sport

The International Olympic Committee’s refusal to suspend Israel’s membership—or even to discuss the idea—confirms that the Committee is politicized, operating far from the spirit of sport, and subject to Western dictates that align with its media narratives and propaganda.

Since the start of the Israeli assault on Gaza in October 2023, during which the Israeli occupation forces employed some of the most lethal and destructive U.S.-supplied weapons, more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed and approximately 150,000 injured, the majority of them children. Many will suffer permanent physical disabilities. Nearly two million people have been displaced and now live under conditions unprecedented in human history.

Systematic Destruction of Palestinian Sport

During the war of extermination and displacement, the Palestinian sports movement has been directly targeted. A total of 976 members of the Palestinian youth, scouting, and sports community have been killed, including 494 footballers. Vital sports infrastructure—including indoor halls, stadiums, and club headquarters—has also been destroyed. More than 288 sports facilities have been demolished.

The International Olympic Committee has failed to do justice to Palestinian sport and has not condemned these disgraceful acts, despite Israel’s refusal to offer any justification for this aspect of the crimes. Clearly, the IOC has sided with Israel by turning a blind eye to crimes committed against Palestinian athletes. The Palestinian sports movement—represented by the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association—has repeatedly submitted requests to FIFA to suspend the membership of the occupying state. No tangible measures were taken; on the contrary, the international bodies warned against raising the issue again.

Arab Attempts to Sanction Israel Olympically

Arab states that carried the Palestinian request to sanction Israel did so on several occasions, only to face rejection by the IOC, under the pretext that a two-thirds majority of FIFA’s 209 national associations was required. They were urged to accept the minimum measure: replacing the proposal to suspend Israel’s FIFA membership with the formation of a monitoring and oversight committee for Israel—an approach Palestinians viewed as ineffective and meaningless.

The Palestinian Olympic Committee, which insisted on the suspension proposal, faced pressure and threats should it persist. Its president, Jibril Rajoub, stated:
“We cannot tolerate an association that accepts being a tool and a cosmetic surgeon for the ugly, racist face of the occupation. Whoever has objections should address the Israeli association and urge it to review its conduct.”
He added: “There is no room for compromise, and no one can prevent us or pressure us.”

The Israeli association is nothing more than an extension of the Israeli government and the occupation, and pressure and threats should have been directed at the Israeli side instead.

The IOC’s Double Standards

Remarkably, the IOC managed—almost miraculously—to secure the supposedly unattainable two-thirds majority within days and convened a meeting, not to address Israel, but to suspend Russia’s membership on the grounds of launching a war against Ukraine. Russia has since been barred for three years from participating in international events, despite its significant stature and presence on international podiums.

The suspension of Russia was imposed by the IOC with “immediate effect,” accompanied by the deprivation of any funding to the Russian Olympic Committee.

“A Violation of the Olympic Charter”

In a statement, the IOC said that Russia’s actions violated the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, making clear that the decision was politically motivated.

These same political motivations expose the IOC’s double standards. Israeli crimes are an affront to human conscience: the killing, slaughter, and displacement of an unarmed people; a conflict whose fuel is children, women, and the elderly; baseless justifications and inhumane practices. It is also evident that Arab states possess pressure tools and leverage that they have not utilized effectively in advancing a proposal to suspend the occupying state—whose crimes are many times greater than those attributed to Russia. Russia, for its part, is confronting an armed state supported militarily by NATO, with weapons stockpiles opened in its favor, and has even seen its capital shelled dozens of times. Yet Russia is punished, while Israel escapes accountability.

Arab states must resubmit the proposal and compel the International Olympic Committee to suspend Israel’s participation and impose sanctions. They should use their relations and influence with countries worldwide and with Olympic federations, based on a strong and unified Arab position, to achieve this objective. They must also draw a direct comparison between the Israeli and Russian cases to expose the occupation and reveal the IOC’s double standards.

The Olympic Charter stipulates respect for human rights—the very justification cited for sanctioning Russia. Israel has violated all of these principles in full view of the entire world.

Meanwhile, the Committee has ignored the catastrophe in Gaza and has instead focused on LGBTQ+ issues, campaigning to raise their flags and slogans at international sporting events and sending ministers to stadiums to show solidarity under cosmetic slogans, despite widespread global popular opposition.