Palestinians slam IOC 'double standards' over Israel at Paris Olympics

PARIS — The head of the Palestine Olympic Committee criticised "double standards" from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Thursday over its decision to allow Israel to compete at the Paris Games.

Palestinian Olympic head Jibril Rajoub demanded a boycott in a letter to the IOC earlier this week which was rejected by the head of the international Olympics body, Thomas Bach.

"This confirms that there are international institutions that insist on applying double standards and not adhering to the Olympic Charter, laws and regulations, or morals," Rajoub said as he arrived at Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport with the Palestinian sporting delegation.

Around a hundred people were there to welcome the athletes with dates and shouts of "Free, Free Palestine!" "The Israelis or the Israeli Olympic Committee have lost the moral, sports, humanitarian and legal right to participate," Rajoub added, saying Israel's ongoing bombardment of Gaza amounted to "crimes of genocide, ethnic cleansing".

Palestinian militants from Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of about 1,170 people, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign to destroy Hamas has killed 39,175 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.

Around 400 Palestinian athletes have been killed, while others have been unable to train or travel because of Israeli bombing or restrictions, the Palestine Olympic Committee says.

Russia has been banned from the Paris Olympics by the IOC for violating the Olympic charter when it annexed Ukrainian sporting organisations after the Kremlin's 2022 invasion.

The IOC has in the past denied that Israel is in violation of the Olympic charter and stressed the relationship between Israeli and Palestinian Olympic Committees.

"We have two National Olympic Committees, that is the difference with the world of politics, and in this respect both have been living in peaceful co-existence," IOC chief Thomas Bach said in Paris on Tuesday.

He added: “We are not in the political business, we are there to accomplish our mission to get the athletes together.”

As he arrived on Thursday, Yazan Al Bawwab, a Palestinian swimmer, said he wanted to raise awareness about the Palestinian cause and the suffering in Gaza.

“As an athlete... it’s not about the medals. It’s about reaching the most people, about the Palestinian cause,” he said. “If a medal gets me more awareness, that’s what I care about.

“Sports is a tool for peace also, it’s a way to spread my message to the world about Palestinians and that we’re suffering.”

Israel’s 88-strong delegation arrived in Paris earlier this week and the men’s football team played their first game on Wednesday evening, drawing 1-1 with Mali.

The Israeli national anthem was whistled at the Parc des Princes stadium and Palestinian flags were waved by a handful of spectators, leading to angry exchanges between them and Israeli fans.