The International Olympic Committee confirmed on Friday that Russian and Belarusian citizens will be able to compete in the 2024 Olympics in Paris as neutral individual athletes, as they are prohibited from carrying their national flags or colors or supporting the war in Ukraine – after some officials in the IOC indicated that the Russian invasion of Ukraine could lead to a comprehensive ban.
Key Facts
Russian and Belarusian teams remain banned, and government officials will not be invited to participate in the Olympics, the IOC confirmed on Friday.
In addition to banning flags and anthems and Russian and Belarusian colors, the IOC also stated that athletes or support staff who actively support the war in Ukraine will be banned.
In its press statement, the committee said it took into account “the opinion of the vast majority of athletes not to penalize fellow athletes for their governments’ actions.”
Like all Olympic athletes, “neutral individual athletes” will have to sign “terms of participation” before the 2024 Games in Paris, which require them to “respect the Olympic movement’s mission of peace.”
The international organization claims that “a very limited number of athletes” will ultimately qualify to participate under the strict eligibility conditions set by the IOC.
Main Background
After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Olympic officials hinted at a comprehensive ban from the 2024 Olympics for both Russia and its ally Belarus. In March, the IOC laid the groundwork for Friday’s decision, recommending international sports federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to return to competition and announcing its intention to explore a path for them to compete in the 2024 Games. At that time, the organization stated that it “deeply regrets the situation of the Ukrainian people” but “cannot prevent wars and conflicts” nor “address all the political and social challenges in our world.” Despite the announcement on Friday, athletes from Russia and Belarus are likely to be barred from participating in the largest sporting segment of the 2024 Games, which is track and field.
What to Watch For
How Ukraine will respond. After the council announced in March that it was working on a path for Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete, Ukrainian officials threatened to boycott the Games.
Key Critics
In his statements on X, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba criticized the IOC’s decision, asserting that the organization “essentially gave Russia the green light to weaponize the Olympics.” He stated that Russia “will use every Russian and Belarusian athlete as a weapon in its propaganda war.” Meanwhile, Russian Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin described the ongoing limited policies of the Olympics regarding Russian athletes as “discriminatory.” He said: “It hurts the Olympic Games themselves, not Russian sports.”
The Big Number
11. This is the number of neutral individual athletes who have qualified for the Games so far. This includes eight Russians and three Belarusians, according to the IOC. So far, over 60 Ukrainians have qualified.
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