- The International Olympic Committee on Tuesday urged nations to uphold the Olympic Truce amid the new conflict in Iran.
- The IOC emphasized its neutrality, however, stating it can't enforce the Olympic Truce resolution.
- Eight countries plan to boycott the Paralympics opening ceremony over the presence of Russian athletes.
SALT LAKE CITY — With a new war launched in Iran ahead of Friday's start for the Paralympics portion of the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, the International Olympic Committee is appealing to nations to uphold the Olympic Truce while emphasizing its neutrality.
The call for peace during the Games dates back to ancient Greece, when what was known as "ekecheiria" ensured safe passage for athletes and spectators at the original Olympics. It has been routinely adopted by the United Nations since being revived by the IOC in the 1990s.
But when it comes to enforcing last November's U.N. General Assembly resolution for the Milan Cortina Games, the Switzerland-based IOC spelled out in a new "statement on athletes' safe passage" issued Tuesday that's not their role.
Calling the Olympic Truce "aspirational and nonbinding," the IOC said it has "no means of enforcing the implementation of the resolution. We recognize that this is entirely in the remit of the U.N. system and outside the remit of the IOC."
So the statement contains an "appeal to all U.N. member states to support athletes who have qualified for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Paralympics, and who may be affected by the most recent conflicts, in their journey to these Games."
Political neutrality and the Olympics
While the IOC statement does not specifically mention the conflict launched over the weekend by President Donald Trump and Israel, it points out "the IOC has to deal with the consequences of the current political context and the latest developments in the world."
There's also a reference to the need to ensure that "the IOC, the Olympic Games and sport remain politically neutral and can uphold their mission to unite the world in peaceful competition," part of the sweeping review ordered by new IOC President Kirsty Coventry.
More than 600 athletes with disabilities are headed to Italy for the Paralympics, which begin Friday and continue through March 15. The International Paralympic Committee has declined to comment on the status of the more than 50 national delegations, Reuters reported Tuesday.
The family of at least one Paralympian, an Alpine skier from Australia, was stranded in Doha, Qatar, earlier this week after the conflict forced the airport there as well as others in the Middle East to suspend flights, according to National Public Radio.
Situation 'worrying and unfortunate' ahead of Italy's Paralympics
Italian Paralympic Committee President Marco Giunio De Sanctis told Reuters that although most athletes should already be in Italy, the war in Iran threatens to overshadow the message of the Games.
"The situation is truly worrying and unfortunate. The impacts of this war (in the Middle East) could be manifold," De Sanctis said, adding, "It is a great shame, because none of the athletes deserve this after making so many sacrifices to get here."
There are already tensions at the Paralympics over the participation of Russian athletes.
The IOC has barred Russians and Belarusians from competing under their countries' flags at the Olympics due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which occurred while the Olympic Truce was in place for the 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.
Eight countries so far are planning to boycott the Paralympics Opening Ceremony on Friday to protest the Russian athletes there: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Netherlands and Ukraine, an IPC spokesman told Reuters.
The United States is set to hold two future Olympics and Paralympics, the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles and the 2034 Winter Games in Utah. The state also hosted the 2002 Winter Games just months after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in America.
Unlike other Olympic Truce resolutions, the one adopted for the 2002 Games did not call for a cessation of hostilities around the world due to the ongoing military efforts that followed the deadly attacks.
Fraser Bullock, president and executive chair of the Organizing Committee for the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, spoke of what he believes hosting again can do in a statement about the impact of the war in Iran.
"We echo the comments of the IOC, that in a troubled world we believe that sport is a beacon of hope and brings the whole world together in peaceful competition," Bullock said. "We remain focused on doing our best to host the Olympics and Paralympics in 2034 and the benefits the Games can bring to the world."
