Despite international calls from human rights organisations to ban Israel from competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics over the country’s ongoing aggression in the war-torn Gaza Strip, Israeli athletes have been clear to participate in the summer games.
According to the reports, Israel has sent a team of 88 athletes to compete in 15 games at the Olympics, with hopes of returning medals. However, the Israeli delegation’s presence has been met with backlash, with shouts of “free Palestine” heard from spectators present in the stadium during their football team’s opening match.
People across the globe and human rights organisations, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights outfit, argue that Israel should be held accountable for its aggression in Gaza, where over 39,000 civilians, including women and children, have died amid the ongoing conflict.
However, no action was taken despite the international outcry. Instead, the Israeli team has been put under heightened security surveillance from French authorities in addition to their protocols.
Historical Olympic bans
While Israel has been allowed to compete in the games, several other countries have faced a ban from the Olympic Committee for violating “The Olympic Charter.”
During the 1920 Summer Olympics, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, and Turkey were strictly banned from the games due to their involvement in World War I.
Again, in 1924, Germany was barred from the Paris Games as a continuation of the earlier sanction.
In a similar action, South Africa was banned from the Olympics from 1964 to 1992 for its alleged apartheid policies.
Afghanistan was also banned from the 2000 Melbourne Olympics due to the Taliban’s policies regarding women’s rights.
And for this year’s Olympic games, Russia and Belarus have been banned due to their roles in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
The Paris 2024 Olympics feature over 10,500 competitors from approximately 200 countries. The games are scheduled to conclude on August 11.
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