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Russians and Belarusians who qualify in their sport for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris can take part as neutrals, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced on December 8.
The Executive Board of the IOC said in a statement 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.”
The board said it took into consideration a number of factors, including “the view of the overwhelming majority of athletes not to punish fellow athletes for the actions of their government.”
The individual neutral athlete designation means athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport will be allowed to compete but will not be allowed to display flags or emblems and their anthems will not be played during the event.
The IOC also said athletes who actively support the war in Ukraine and those contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military are ineligible.
In addition, no teams from the two countries will be allowed, and no Russian or Belarusian government or state official will be invited to or accredited for Paris 2024.
Russia’s Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin called the decision discriminatory and unacceptable.
“Participation in the Olympics is an athlete’s dream,” Russia’s Sports Minister Matytsin was quoted as saying by TASS. “But the conditions are discriminatory and go against the principles of sports. By doing so, they harm the Olympic Games themselves, and not Russian sports. The approach is absolutely unacceptable.”
Despite the IOC decision, World Athletics remains firm in its decision to block Russians and Belarusians from competitions.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said at a press conference in Paris that there would be no Russians or Belarusians competing as neutrals in track-and-field events at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
“You may well see some neutral athletes from Russia and Belarus in Paris, it just won’t be in athletics,” Coe said.
World Athletics said earlier in a statement that all athletes, support personnel, and officials from Russia and Belarus remain barred from all World 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,” the statement said.
The statement noted that it is the responsibility of the international federations to decide which athletes within their sport are eligible to compete.
The organizers of the Paris Olympics, which are to open in July, said they took note of the IOC’s decision, issuing a statement saying that “qualification for the Olympic Games Paris 2024…falls under the responsibility of the IOC and the International Federations.
“Paris 2024’s responsibility is to host athletes who have qualified for the games under the best possible conditions, regardless of their nationality,” the statement, which expressed “solidarity” with Ukraine, said.
Ukraine has opposed the presence of Russian competitors, even as neutrals, at the Paris Olympics.
Out of 4,600 athletes globally who have qualified for the Paris Olympics so far, eight are Russians and three hold Belarusian passports, the IOC statement said, adding that more than 60 Ukrainians have qualified.
With reporting by Reuters
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