What they did do was set out conditions by which, those from Russia and Belarus would be permitted to participate in other international sport.

Many feel that they are testing the water and clearing the way for a decision on the Olympics.

The polarisation of opinions has left a strong sense of dé jà vu for those who remember 1980, when battle lines were drawn over a boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

Amongst those who will remember are IOC President Thomas Bach, then a world class fencer, who won a team foil gold medal in 1976.

Bach was denied the opportunity to compete in 1980 because West Germany joined the boycott, which perhaps explains his determination to ensure that other Olympic athletes don't suffer the same fate.

In 1980, IOC President Lord Killanin vehemently insisted that the Olympic Games should go ahead in Moscow which put him at odds with many Western Government leaders who had called for a boycott after Soviet troops entered Afghanistan in December 1979.

Western politicians also met to try and establish an alternative to the Olympics just as the Kremlin is now reportedly planning "Games of the Future," 

In January 1980, United States President Jimmy Carter had been the first to hint at a boycott of the Moscow Olympics.

“Although the United States would prefer not to withdraw from the Olympic Games in Moscow, the Soviet Union must realise that its continued aggressive actions will endanger both the participation of athletes and the travel to Moscow by spectators,” he warned.

He discussed a boycott with German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt and with the United States National Security Council.

"The idea that the Olympiad could collapse because of international disapproval of actions by the Soviet Government would certainly sink in," wrote Robert Kaiser, former Washington Post  Moscow Correspondent.

Such media support encouraged the White House and set alarm bells ringing at the United States Olympic Committee (USOC).

"This proposal is diametrically opposed to the principles of the worldwide Olympic Movement," USOC President Bob Kane and director Don Miller told the White House.

Later on the television programme Meet the Press, Carter delivered an ultimatum.

“I’ve sent a message today to the United States Olympic Committee spelling out my own position that unless the Soviets withdraw their troops within a month from Afghanistan that the Olympic Games be moved from Moscow to an alternate site or multiple sites or postponed or cancelled."

"For the Soviet Union, the Olympic Games are a major 'political' event which will be used to boost Soviet prestige in the world," British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, a leading supporter of the boycott, declared.

Carter also found support from Australian Premier Malcolm Fraser.

"One of the most telling ways in which the opposition of Australia and other independent nations to the Soviet actions can be expressed, particularly to the people of the USSR, is by an effective boycott of the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow," Fraser wrote to the Australian Olympic Federation.

Carter sent his envoy to meet Killanin at his home in Dublin.

"I discovered Cutler had not flown in to discuss but to instruct," Killanin recorded in his memoirs.

Carter also recruited Muhammad Ali to tour countries in the African continent and put the case for a boycott.

Predictably, Ali was warmly received, but his trip was not a success.

The Washington Post branded it "condescending."

By a curious twist of fate, the American town of Lake Placid, was to host the 1980 Winter Olympics.

Carter did not attend the Games, not in itself unusual, for until that time, no incumbent United States President had opened them.

He despatched his Secretary of State Cyrus Vance to open the IOC Session which immediately preceded them.

Vance made a highly politicised speech.

"In the view of my Government, it would be a violation of this fundamental Olympic principle, to conduct or attend Games in a nation which is currently engaging in an aggressive war, and has refused to comply with the world community’s demand to halt its aggression," Vance told IOC members.

"It is whether the Games should be held in a country which is itself committing a serious breach of international peace.

"It is our conviction that to do so would be wholly inconsistent with the meaning of the Olympics."

The following morning Killanin "thanked the members for their support at the most embarrassing Opening Ceremony ever held."

The speech by Vance outraged many members of the IOC, including FIFA President Joao Havelange who congratulated Killanin "for clearly stating the position of the IOC concerning the Games in Moscow."

Juan Antonio Samaranch, next in line as IOC President, told Killanin: "We are surprised to listen to a political speech."

Killanin later concluded that the speech "had drawn the IOC members together as if someone had lassoed them with an enormous rope."

Kenya's Reg Alexander proposed that the Session "reconfirms its decision to award the 1980 Games to Moscow."

He also recommended that a Public Relations Committee be constituted with "the need to educate the world public on the ideals, rules, moral responsibilities and independence of the IOC."

"Many Governments have stated that the athletes of their countries would not be encouraged and might even be forbidden to take part in the Games in Moscow," Killanin said in a statement.

"All 142 National Olympic Committees are bound by Olympic rules, they alone can accept or refuse invitations to the Games."

His speech found an echo in Bach's words in the last few days.

"It is deplorable to see that some Governments do not want to respect the majority within the Olympic Movement," Bach said this week.

Back in 1980, USOC representatives reported to the IOC Session.

"USOC had not accepted President Carter's recommendation," Kane told the members.

He concluded that "the USOC and the IOC, he felt, had plunged involuntarily into the situation against their will."

In the next few days, the United States ice hockey team defeated the Soviets en route to the gold medal in a match which became known as the "Miracle On Ice."

Carter now sought to harness the "feel good" factor that victory had created.

"The President did catch the Olympic Fever entertaining the U.S. Olympic delegation at an elegant White House reception," the 1980 USOC report said.

"These are wonderful young Americans, they have thrilled our nation and we are all deeply grateful for your tremendous achievements."

In late February, the USOC voted to fall in line with their Government by deciding not to attend.

Anita de Frantz, then a member of the US rowing squad, led legal proceedings tabled by the American Civil Liberties Union to challenge the decision.

This proved unsuccessful but De Frantz later became a prominent IOC member.

Canada, West Germany and Japan all voted not to attend Moscow.

Killanin visited Carter in the White House and Leonid Brezhnev, the Soviet leader in the Kremlin.

Killanin reported that Brezhnev could see nothing wrong with a Communist Party handbook which stated that the Games had been awarded to Moscow in "recognition of the correctness of its foreign policy course and its enormous services in the struggle for peace."

It was a stick which American officials had wielded with eagerness.

Abortive attempts to establish alternative Games in 1980 underscored the lack of appreciation of the complexities of sport among politicians.

"I intend to meet soon with a representative group of our summer athletes to talk to them, about an alternative world class competition for them this summer, that does not harm Olympic principles and will not harm future Olympic Games," Carter had revealed at a White House reception.

The USOC "refused to associate themselves with the proposal for alternative Games," but politicians from other nations later gathered in Geneva to discuss alternative Games.

The White House had sought to involve 1984 Olympic Organising Committee President Peter Ueberroth but he told the Los Angeles Times "they are counter productive for our mutual objectives."

The meetings proved inconclusive.

"The present Geneva conference was but one of the episodes of the anti Olympic show," Moscow 1980 deputy chairman Vladimir Popov told official Soviet media agency TASS.

"We are convinced the projects under discussion in Geneva will not enlist any international support since they utterly contradict the Olympic Charter."

BOA general secretary Dick Palmer was also scornful of the Geneva meeting.

"These people seem to be living in cloud cuckoo land," Palmer told the Daily Telegraph.

The Olympic question was also debated at Parliament in London.

Killanin later conceded his disappointment at the standard of the debate.

A week later, the British Olympic Association (BOA) voted to attend the Games in defiance of their Government.

The International Athletes Club also wrote to Mrs Thatcher to emphasise their opposition to a boycott.

Many prominent athletes did go to Moscow, among them Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett, at the time the finest middle distance runners in the world.

This did not prevent a further tirade from Thatcher.

"The Games will not be worthy of the name Olympic," she insisted.

"The medals will be of inferior worth and the ceremonies a charade."

In April, the sporting world gathered for crisis meetings with the IOC in Lausanne.

"I think the future of the entire Olympics will be on the line this week," a senior official predicted.

Attendees included the Moscow Organising Committee, National Olympic Committees and Presidents of the Olympic International Federations.

Among the latter was International Equestrian Federation President Prince Philip.

"I was frankly astounded to hear that he had arrived in view of the attitude of the British Government towards the Games," said IOC President Killanin.

Thomi Keller, head of the International Rowing Federation gave the final statement to the press.

"The Olympic Federations, being aware of the reasons being advanced by different Governments for putting pressure on National Olympic Committees to boycott the Games, protest energetically against such pressure," Keller announced.

"They declare their belief that the boycotting of a sporting event is an improper way of trying to obtain a political end and that the real victims of any such action are the sportsmen and women."

Keller also revealed "it took quite an effort to get the text approved by everyone, a lot of people collaborated and Prince Philip even made the final touches to the draft, sort of polished it up."

In 1980, the concept of "neutral athletes" was considered as a pathway to enable those from nations which had boycotted to attend the Games.

"The participation of individuals would also be on the agenda," Killanin told an EB meeting in April 1980.

He reminded them that "the question of participation of individuals had been raised after the Second World war, when there were many stateless persons who were not able to be recognised by National Federations affiliated to National Olympic Committees."

In fact, the minutes record that "some IOC members were against this concept as it would be undermining the authority of the NOCs."

The idea was discussed again when the IOC EB met in June, because "it now seemed that some National Federations in non-participating NOCs were anxious to send athletes."

Masaji Kiyokawa explained that this had been the case in Japan. The idea was ultimately rejected.

"It was obviously in the IOC's interest to obtain the largest possible participation, but it could not sacrifice the NOCs' authority," was the conclusion.

The idea of "Neutral Athletes," in 2023 might well prove complex.

IOC recommendations for the return of Russia and Belarus to international sport revealed this week stipulated: "Athletes who actively support the war cannot compete. Support personnel who actively support the war cannot be entered."

In addition "athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies cannot compete."

In 1980, the IOC did alter its regulations to allow the use of the name and flag of a National Olympic Committee rather than the national flag.

New Zealand's small contingent marched behind the flag of the New Zealand Olympic Committee, a very striking black banner on which were mounted the Olympic Rings and silver fern.

Others used the Olympic flag, but each time a team did so the television coverage showed a close-up of the bearer and did not reveal the flag.

The Soviet television commentator told domestic viewers it was "contrary to Olympic norms."

Last month Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin expressed his regret that the Russian flag had not been permitted at recent Games, even before the invasion of Ukraine.

"I think for every country it is important that you present the country with all symbols, including the flag," Matytsin told insidethegames during the International Boxing Association Women's World Championships in New Delhi last month. 

"I think it should be normal - it’s Olympic values, we are, of course against any politicisation and discrimination."

In fact the use of the Russian Olympic Committee flag in Tokyo and Beijing and the use of Tchaikovsky's piano concerto as a victory anthem were concessions, not accorded to India and Kuwait when their NOCs were suspended because of problems of governance.

The next IOC EB meeting is scheduled for June 20, but the Olympic picture for 2024 might not become any clearer until the IOC Session which is set to open in Mumbai on October 15.