By Shahrokh Saei
TEHRAN- The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have been overshadowed by Israel’s participation amid the regime’s genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
Calls have been growing for barring Israeli athletes from the event over the offensive which has claimed the lives of more than 39,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 7.
Pro-Palestine activists have repeatedly called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) via online petitions and protests to bar Israel.
Anti-war activists and protesters say Israel, which stands accused of genocide in Gaza at the International Court of Justice, must face the consequences of its brutalities.
Speaking at a pro-Palestinian event in Paris on Saturday, a French lawmaker condemned Israe’s presence in this year’s Olympics.
“I am here to say that no, the Israeli delegation is not welcome in Paris. Israeli athletes are not welcome at the Olympic Games in Paris,” La France Insoumise (LFI) lawmaker Thomas Portes said.
Israelis in the Paris Games are now bracing themselves for an angry reception, including protests, boos inside stadiums and opponents refusing to shake their hands.
The Palestinian Olympic Committee (POC) has also joined calls for Israel to be excluded from the Paris Games.
In an open letter to IOC President Thomas Bach on Monday, the POC said Israeli bombings of Gaza amount to a breach of the Olympic truce.
The letter “emphasized that Palestinian athletes, particularly those in Gaza, are denied safe passage and have suffered significantly due to the ongoing conflict.”
“Approximately 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed, and the destruction of sports facilities exacerbates the plight of athletes who are already under severe restrictions,” the letter added.
But it seems that such calls have fallen on deaf ears.
Bach has indicated that he would not be drawn into "political business".
French President Emmanuel Macron has also thrown cold water on demands to bar Israel from the Paris Games.
"Israeli athletes are welcome in our country," Macron said on Tuesday.
The Olympic Games will begin with an opening ceremony on the River Seine on Friday.
During their stay in Paris, Israeli athletes will be protected around the clock.
According to the IOC president, "The French authorities are responsible for security. They are working very meticulously, working very professionally, working with 180 other international intelligence services collecting all the information."
Undoubtedly, it will cost a fortune to protect the Israelis, a good chunk of that from the pockets of French taxpayers.
The French government is forcing people to fund the Israeli genocide.
Western double-standards
Israeli athletes have been allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics while athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from world sports over the Ukraine war which broke out in February 2022.
Russia and Belarus, which are accused of supporting Moscow’s war on Kyiv, have been barred from sending teams to the Paris Games.
However, the two countries have been invited to send individual athletes who meet strict conditions set out by the IOC. Based on these conditions, the athletes must not actively support the Ukraine war. Likewise, they must not be contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies. Furthermore, they have not been allowed their national flags or anthems.
Such blatant discriminations have highlighted the double-standard and hypocritical approaches of the West and the organizations affiliated to them.
If the IOC is justified in imposing restrictions on Russian athletes, it would be consistent and fair to adopt a similar approach towards Israeli athletes who have been accused of involvement in atrocious human rights violations against Palestinian civilians.
This would promote equal treatment and consistency in the application of Olympic rules and values. In other words, "what's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander!"
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