Israel’s Olympic delegation have departed for Paris Olympics in spite of calls from the Palestinian contingent to ban Israeli athletes due to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. The Summer Games in the French capital will commence this Friday against a backdrop of heightened security concerns and growing international outrage over Israel’s ongoing bombardment in Gaza.
The Palestine Olympic Committee announced that it had sent a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach, requesting Israel’s exclusion, citing the bombings in Gaza as a violation of the Olympic truce.
The letter stressed that Palestinian athletes, especially those in Gaza, are denied safe passage and have been significantly affected by the ongoing conflict. It mentioned that approximately 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed, and the destruction of sports facilities has worsened the plight of athletes already facing severe restrictions.
The committee also referenced a recent opinion by the UN’s top court declaring Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories illegal.
Prior to their departure for France, Israel Olympic Committee President Yael Arad hailed it as a “victory” that the team’s 88 athletes were able to participate in the Games.
French organisers have heightened security in Paris, with the Israeli delegation subject to strict security protocols.
French lawmaker Thomas Portes ignited a political row over the weekend by declaring Israeli athletes “not welcome” and calling for “mobilisation” around the Olympics during a pro-Palestinian demonstration. However, French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne stated on Monday that Israeli athletes were “welcome in France”.
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz thanked his French counterpart on X for his “welcome message to the Israeli delegation at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and for his assurance regarding the safety of our athletes”.
Pro-Palestinian protesters and activists in France and the United States, alongside Palestinian sports clubs and the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, have called for the IOC to restrict Israel’s participation in the 2024 Summer Games due to its ongoing bombardment of the Strip.
In March, Pierre-Olivier Beckers-Vieujant, head of the IOC coordination committee for Paris 2024, stated that it was “out of the question to imagine” sanctions on Israel over its actions in Gaza, in contrast to the sanctions imposed on Russia and its Olympic Committee over the invasion of Ukraine.
The Olympic Games in Paris will take place from 26 July to 11 August. Several Israeli athletes are strong medal contenders, including taekwondo athlete Avishag Semberg, a bronze medallist at the 2020 Olympics; gymnast Artem Dolgopyat, who won Israel’s first gymnastics gold in 2020; and Lanir, a 2023 world champion in her category.
Eight Palestinian athletes will also be participating in the Paris Games.
The Hamas-led attacks on Israel on October 7 resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people, according to Israeli figures. Out of the 251 people taken hostage that day, 116 are reportedly still being held inside Gaza, including 44 whom the military says are dead.
Meanwhile, Israel’s non-stop attack has killed over 39,000 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Palestine health ministry, with hundreds reportedly being held captive in Israeli prisons.