Russian and Belarusian athletes in individual sports can compete at 2024 Paris Olympics as neutrals; sportspeople from those countries had been banned from many events following Russian's invasion of Ukraine; World Athletics says ban remains; Paris Games to run from July 26-August 11
Friday 8 December 2023 17:35, UK
Russian and Belarusian athletes who qualify in individual sports for the Paris 2024 Olympics can take part as neutrals, the International Olympic Committee has announced.
The athletes had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia's invasion of Ukraine last year but have gradually been allowed back into most sports as neutrals.
Those wishing to compete in France next summer will have to do so without flags, emblems or anthems and must not support the ongoing war.
Support staff must follow the same guidelines.
No teams from Russia or Belarus can take part in the 2024 Olympics, which runs from July 26 to August 11 next year.
The IOC statement read: "The executive board (EB) of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has decided that individual neutral athletes (AINs) who have qualified through the existing qualification systems of the international federations (IFs) on the field of play will be declared eligible to compete at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in accordance with the conditions outlined.
"Individual neutral athletes are athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport. The strict eligibility conditions based on the recommendations issued by the IOC EB on March 28 2023 for international federations and international sports event organisers will be applied."
The IOC said that out of 4,600 athletes to have qualified for the Paris Games so far, eight were Russians and three were Belarusian.
World Athletics (WA), however, says its position is unchanged and that Russians and Belarusians will remain banned for the Olympics "unless there is a major change in circumstances".
WA said: "All athletes, support personnel and officials from Russia and Belarus are excluded from all World Athletics Series events, and from hosting any International or European athletics events.
"We will continue to monitor the situation, but unless there is a major change in circumstances between now and the Olympic Games, this exclusion will apply to Paris 2024."
"It is the IOCs remit to decide which countries are invited to participate at the Olympic Games, but it is the responsibility of the IFs (international federations) to decide which athletes within their sport are eligible to compete."
At August's World Championships in Budapest, WA president Sebastian Coe said: "The death and destruction we have seen in Ukraine over the past year, including the deaths of some 185 athletes, have only hardened my resolve on this matter. It is an intolerable situation and that's why I won't be changing my views anytime soon."
