Russians, Belarusians to participate at Paris Olympics as neutrals: IOC

Russians and Belarusians had initially been banned from competing internationally following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, for which Belarus has been used as a staging ground.

In March, however, the IOC issued a first set of recommendations for international sports federations to allow Russian and Belarusian competitors to return and they have since done so in most events.

Athletics, the Games’ biggest sport, is unlikely to open the door for them to return to competition, however, after banning them following the invasion and sticking to it on Friday.

Russia’s Sports Minister Oleg Matytsin called the conditions set by the IOC for Russian athletes’ participation at the Olympics “discriminatory”.

“The Executive Board (EB) of the 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,” the Olympic body said in a statement.”Individual Neutral Athletes are athletes with a Russian or Belarusian passport.”The neutral athletes will only compete in individual sports and no teams for the two countries will be allowed. Athletes who actively support the war in Ukraine are not eligible, nor are those contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military.

The IOC also said no Russian or Belarusian government or state official would be invited to or accredited for Paris 2024.

But athletes, it added, should not be punished for the actions of their governments.

“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.”

Paris 2024 organisers said they were ‘taking note’ of the IOC’s decision, reminding in a statement 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, further read.

“With just under eight months to go until the start of the Games, this remains our primary goal.”

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 Games so far, eight are Russians and three hold Belarusian passports. More than 60 Ukrainians have qualified.

Athletics maintains ban

Athletics’ suspension of Russia for state-sponsored doping was lifted this year but, after the invasion of Ukraine, which Moscow called a “special military operation”, all Russians and Belarusians were banned from the sport.

In response to the IOC decision on Friday, World Athletics (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 IOC’s 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 it would have been “inconceivable” for Russians and Belarusians to have competed, saying that the ban was for “reasons of integrity”. “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.”

Russia’s gymnastics coach, Valentina Rodionenko, played down the significance of the IOC’s decision.

“There is no need to talk about any breakthrough,” Rodionenko was quoted as saying by TASS news agency.

“The IOC, by allowing our athletes to take part in the Olympics, retained the same extremely humiliating conditions that were previously outlined in recommendations to international federations. I believe that we do not need to go to Paris under such conditions.”