The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has created a path for athletes who hold Russian or Belarusian passports to compete in the 2024 Olympics, the organization announced Friday.
The athletes, who have qualified for the Paris Games “through the existing qualification systems of the International Federations (IFs) on the field of play,” will compete as Individual Neutral Athletes under “strict eligibility conditions.” These conditions exclude any “athletes who actively support” Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as “support personnel who actively support the war” and anyone “contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies.” Additionally, only athletes participating in individual events are eligible.
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No flag, emblems, anthems or any other identifying symbols of Russia and Belarus will be displayed at the Olympics due to ongoing sanctions against the two countries.
The IOC listed multiple factors its executive board considered when making the decision, including “the view of the overwhelming majority of athletes not to punish fellow athletes for the actions of their government” and the urging from International Federations at the Olympic Summit on Dec. 5 to “take such a decision as soon as possible.”
Of the 4,600 athletes who have qualified for Paris thus far, 11 are Individual Neutral Athletes (eight holding a Russian passport and three holding a Belarusian passport).
In its announcement, the IOC also reiterated its sanctions “against those responsible for the war, the Russian and Belarusian states and governments” remain in place for the 2024 Games.
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(Photo: Kazuhiro Nogi /AFP via Getty Images)