Which countries have been banned from participating in the Olympics?
Al Jazeera
Thirteen countries have been banned from the Olympics in the past for reasons such as war, doping, political stances or violations of IOC rules.
As Israel’s national football team took the field for their opening game of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris on Thursday, their national anthem was greeted with boos from sections of the audience.
Chants of “free Palestine” rang out.
Israel’s 88 athletes are among more than 10,500 sportspeople from some 200 countries who will participate in the Olympics, that formally kick off with the opening ceremony on Friday. In Paris, Israeli athletes will receive round-the-clock protection from a specialist elite unit of French police, in addition to their own enhanced security measures.
The country’s participation in the games amid its brutal war on Gaza, in which more than 39,000 people have been killed, has provoked criticism of Olympics organisers, who have a long history of banning nations deemed to have indulged in acts that contravene the spirit of the games. Two countries will be absent from this year’s Olympics: Russia and Belarus, as a result of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Those demanding the ban say Israel, which has been accused of genocide by South Africa in its case at the International Court of Justice, must face the consequences of its actions.
