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

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

Since the start of the Israeli aggression against Gaza in October 2023, during which the Israeli occupation forces deployed some of the most lethal and destructive American weapons, more than 71,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 150,000 wounded—most of them children—many of whom will suffer permanent physical disabilities. Nearly two million people have been forcibly displaced and are now living under conditions unprecedented in human history.

Systematic Destruction of Palestinian Sport

During the war of extermination and displacement, the crime extended to all components of the Palestinian sports movement. A total of 976 members of the Palestinian youth and scouting sports movement were killed, including 494 football players. Vital sports facilities—halls, stadiums, and club headquarters—were also targeted. More than 288 sports facilities were destroyed.

The International Olympic Committee failed to deliver justice to Palestinian sport and did not condemn these disgraceful acts, despite Israel neither denying nor justifying this aspect of the crime. It is clear that the IOC sided with Israel by turning a blind eye to the condemnation of crimes committed against Palestinian athletes. The Palestinian sports movement—represented by the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the Palestinian Football Association—submitted repeated requests to FIFA to freeze the occupation state’s membership, but no tangible measures were taken. On the contrary, the international committee warned against raising the issue again.

Arab Attempts to Sanction Israel Olympically

Arab states that carried the Palestinian request to sanction Israel on multiple occasions were met with rejection by the IOC, under the pretext that a two-thirds majority of the national associations affiliated with FIFA—numbering around 209—was required. They then called for the minimum sanction: replacing the proposal to freeze Israel’s FIFA membership with the formation of a monitoring and oversight committee on Israel—an option Palestinians viewed as ineffective and meaningless.

The Palestinian Olympic Committee, which insisted on freezing Israel’s membership, faced pressure and threats for maintaining the draft resolution. 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. Anyone with objections should address the Israeli association and urge it to review its own 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—not the Palestinian one.

Double Standards of the International Olympic Committee

Miraculously, the IOC succeeded in gathering the supposedly impossible two-thirds majority within days to convene a meeting—not to address Israel, but to freeze Russia’s membership on the grounds of waging war on Ukraine. Russia has been barred from participating in international events for three years, despite its significant weight and presence on international podiums.

The decision to freeze Russia’s membership was taken by the IOC with “immediate effect,” and included the suspension of all funding to the Russian Olympic Committee.

“Violation of the Olympic Charter”

In a statement issued by the IOC, it said that Russia’s actions violated the territorial integrity of the Ukrainian Olympic Committee, underscoring that the decision was driven by clear political motives.

These same political motives expose the IOC’s double standards. Israeli crimes make humanity shudder—killing, slaughter, and the displacement of an unarmed people; a war fueled by the blood of children, women, and the elderly; flimsy justifications and inhumane practices. Yet Arab states possess pressure tools and leverage that they failed to use in advancing a proposal to freeze the occupation state’s membership—despite Israel committing crimes many times greater than those attributed to Russia, which is itself confronting a militarized state backed by NATO, with its weapons stockpiles opened in support and even the Russian capital shelled dozens of times. In the end, Russia is punished while Israel escapes accountability.

Arab states must resubmit the proposal and compel the global Olympic movement to freeze Israel’s participation and impose sanctions. They must leverage their relations and influence with countries and Olympic federations worldwide, starting from a strong and unified Arab position, and draw a clear comparison between the Israeli and Russian cases to expose the occupation authorities and the IOC’s double standards.

The Olympic Charter stipulates respect for human rights—the very justification used to sanction Russia. Israel has flagrantly violated these principles in full view of the world. Yet the IOC has ignored the catastrophe in Gaza, instead focusing on LGBTQ+ rights, campaigning for the display of their flags and slogans at international sporting events, and sending ministers to stadiums in symbolic solidarity under cosmetic slogans—despite widespread popular rejection worldwide.