The letter states, "We are horrified to find ourselves writing this letter. Athletes have been clear: Russia and Belarus must be completely banned from the Olympic movement until Russia leaves Ukraine. Since the IOC's initial suspension of Russian and Belarusian athletes in early 2022, nothing has changed - the number of victims and documented atrocities in Ukraine continue to rise. There are currently no legitimate grounds for the IOC to change its course."

The letter notes that in January of this year, the IOC distanced itself from responsibility by "strongly recommending," but not demanding, that international federations (IFs) explore ways to reintegrate Russian and Belarusian athletes into the Olympic movement. This "recommendation" absolved the IOC of responsibility and left it up to the IFs to decide whether to allow Russia and Belarus back in.

Many athletes, representatives of international ministries, and the European Union have condemned this statement. However, the IOC has not changed its position or responded to the criticism, which challenges hundreds of Olympians and Paralympians who signed an open letter in February 2022 calling for the ban of Russia and Belarus from the Olympic movement, over forty Canadian Olympians who urged the maintenance of the ban in March 2023, more than three hundred and fifty international fencers, as well as Athleten Deutschland e.V. and Global Athlete, who called for the continuation of the ban for Russia and Belarus in March 2023.

Global Athlete emphasizes that the IOC's idea that the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes is discrimination based on nationality does not reflect the essence of Olympic sport for several reasons. One of the reasons is that nationality is a central element of the Olympic Games. Athletes are flag bearers, and their success is closely linked to their homeland, regardless of whether flags, anthems, and national colors are removed. Olympic athletes in Russia and Belarus, like most Olympians, receive state funding and support, and allowing them to compete in the Olympic Games is equivalent to allowing paid ambassadors of these countries to promote their governments on one of the world's largest stages.

"Many Russian and Belarusian athletes are involved in military actions," the letter emphasizes. "They hold high military and law enforcement positions and are constantly used in propaganda to support the ongoing invasion of Ukraine. Neither the IOC nor the IFs can realistically determine which athletes have supported and which have not, as recently demonstrated after the World Taekwondo Championships when Russian athletes who competed as neutrals were later identified as allegedly expressing pro-military views on social media. Allowing Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions inevitably means allowing supporters of war and active members of their armed forces to participate in the Games."

The open letter states that Russia's aggression against Ukraine has already resulted in the death of 235 athletes, the destruction of over 345 sports facilities, the forced relocation of 40,000 athletes abroad, and leaving 140,000 young athletes without sports facilities. "Olympic sport has always been and remains a tool of politics, especially for authoritarian states. The only way to prevent Putin from using the Olympics further to advance his political agenda and military actions is to ban Russian athletes from participating in the Games."

The letter's authors also emphasized that Russian and Belarusian athletes do not face individual discrimination; their teams are excluded because they represent countries engaged in aggressive warfare. Therefore, the IOC should demand that all IFs suspend Russian and Belarusian athletes from international competitions and completely prevent them from participating in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris until Russia completely withdraws from Ukraine.

Within 24 hours of the publication of the open letter, 80 athletes added their names, as noted on Global Athlete's Twitter.

The Letter can be read here.

Athletes wishing to add their names to this letter can click here or email hello@globalathlete.org