How Olympic sponsors have found themselves in a political minefield

The UK government has penned a letter to the 13 worldwide partners of the International Olympic Committee, requesting that the IOC abandon its plans for a “pathway” that would allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete as ‘neutrals’. Sponsors from Coca-Cola to Intel are now weighing up the implications of proximal support for Russian involvement in the Olympic Games.

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer has stated that “sports and politics in Russia and Belarus are heavily intertwined, and we are determined that the regimes in Russia and Belarus must not be allowed to use sport for their propaganda purposes.” It stands starkly opposite the view from the IOC that “the autonomy of sport” positions athletes outside of their passport – they shouldn’t, therefore, be seen as extensions of Russia’s military activity and punished as a result of broader sanctions.