The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has issued a list of athletes from Russia and Belarus it will allow take part in the Summer Games in Paris.
Twelve Russian athletes and seven of their Belarusian counterparts have qualified to compete in the 2024 Olympic Games, but only as neutral athletes, as of March 19, the IOC’s Director for Relations with National Olympic Committees, James Macleod, has announced, according to media reports.
The maximum number of Russians who can qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games will be 55, according to the report. Belarus, meanwhile, is limited to sending 28 athletes.
According to the IOC decision, Russian ‘neutral’ athletes are prohibited from taking part in the opening ceremony. The decision on their participation in the closing of the games will be made later, Macleod noted.
Individual Neutral Athletes (AINs) from both countries “will not participate in the parade of delegations and teams during the opening ceremony since they are individual athletes, but will be given the opportunity to observe the event,” according to Macleod.
The IOC originally banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from competing internationally following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Last year, however, the blanket ban was reconsidered by the organization, and individuals, but not teams, were allowed to participate provided that they do so under a neutral flag and on the condition they “do not support the war and are not linked to the military, or to other services.”
Commenting on the original ban, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that such policies could end up burying the Olympic movement, insisting that “sport is outside of politics.”