Friday (February 24) will mark one year since Russia launched its widely-condemned full-scale invasion of Ukraine with the assistance of its military ally Belarus.

The IOC responded last year by calling on all sporting organisations to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from competitions and stop the two nations from hosting events.

Last month, the IOC announced that it would "explore a pathway" for the return of athletes from Russia and Belarus to international sport under "strict conditions" of neutrality.

The move has sparked anger from Ukrainian officials, with the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine threatening to boycott next year's Olympics in Paris over the presence of Russians and Belarusians.

A coalition of 35 countries signed a statement which claimed that there was "no practical reason" for the IOC to lift the ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes while Ukraine remains under attack and raised "strong concerns" over the feasibility of them participating under a neutral banner.

The IOC has released a statement today, calling on the Olympic Movement to join calls for peace and saying that it "stands ready to make its modest contribution to any peace-building efforts".

"With no end in sight to the fighting after one year of bloodshed, the IOC reiterates its condemnation of the war in Ukraine, which is a blatant violation of the Olympic Truce that was in effect at the time, and the Olympic Charter," the IOC said.

"For this reason, the IOC sanctioned the Russian and Belarusian states and Governments, who are solely responsible for this war, in an unprecedented way - no international sports events organised in Russia and Belarus; no flag, anthems or other national symbols whatsoever displayed; and no government or state officials accredited for any international sports events.

"These sanctions were put in place in February 2022 and were then reinforced, further strengthened and confirmed by the recent Olympic Summit on 9 December 2022. 

"They remain firmly in place."

The IOC said it remained committed to its mission to "unite the entire world in peaceful competition", highlighting how athletes from South and North Korea and Israel and Palestine competed on the same field despite political tensions.

"During the Olympic Games, athletes from 206 different National Olympic Committees live together in peace in the Olympic Village," the IOC said. 

"Peace-building efforts need dialogue. 

"A competition with athletes who respect the Olympic Charter can serve as a catalyst for dialogue, which is always a first step to achieving peace.

"The Olympic Games cannot prevent wars and conflicts. 

"Nor can they address all the political and social challenges in our world. 

"This is the realm of politics. 

"But the Olympic Games can set an example for a world where everyone respects the same rules and one another. 

"They can inspire us to solve problems by building bridges, leading to better understanding among people. 

"They can open the door to dialogue and peace-building in ways that exclusion and division do not.

"The overwhelming majority of the Olympic Movement, including the athletes, National Olympic Committees and International Federations, support the unwavering solidarity with Ukraine, the sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus and the peace-building, unifying mission of the Olympic Movement.

"United in this Olympic spirit, on this painful one-year mark, the entire Olympic Movement reiterates the call we made one year ago to all the political leaders of the world: 'Give Peace a Chance'.

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