The International Olympic Committee (IOC) must explain its “double standards” in applying sanctions, the Kremlin has said, after the organization refused to penalize the US and Israel over their military campaign against Iran while maintaining years-long restrictions on Russian athletes. 

In a statement on Tuesday, the IOC appealed to UN member states to ensure safe passage for Paralympians affected by “the most recent conflicts” – a veiled reference to the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that have killed hundreds of civilians, including 168 schoolgirls in Minab, as per Iranian sources.   

The committee insisted on its neutrality and emphasized that sport “must remain a beacon of hope” and bring “the whole world together in peaceful competition.”  

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov pointed to the stark contrast with 2022, when the IOC swiftly condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine as an “extremely grave violation of the Olympic Truce” and urged federations to impose sweeping sanctions. At least 37 international sports federations followed suit, banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from competitions.  

“I look at this as the right position,” Peskov said of the IOC’s stated neutrality. “And I do not understand why a different position applies to us and Belarus. The IOC is obliged to clarify these discrepancies.”  

The IOC’s statement has also drawn immediate comparisons to its treatment of Israel during the 2024 Paris Games, when Palestinian Olympic chief Jibril Rajoub accused the committee of “double standards” for keeping Russia banned while allowing Israeli athletes to compete despite West Jerusalem’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed tens of thousands of civilians.  

Despite the criticisms, the IOC has imposed no restrictions on US or Israeli athletes while Russian competitors remained barred from team events at the Milano Cortina Games, with only 13 individuals allowed to participate under a neutral flag after passing strict vetting.  

However, other sporting organizations have recently been shifting their approach. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) allowed Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under their national flags at the Paralympics for the first time since 2014, vowing to treat them “like any other country.”   

Moscow has long accused Western nations of pressuring federations to ban Russian athletes for political reasons, criticizing international sports bodies for “politicizing” sports.