The International Olympic Committee (IOC) authorized this Friday Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in the Paris Olympic Games-2024, but with a neutral flag and under strict conditionspredicting reduced delegations from those countries.
But not even these conditions will open athletics competitions to Russian and Belarusian athletes, as determined by the federation of these reference events of the Games.
In the other disciplines, only “neutral individual athletes” who have passed the qualification phases, who have not actively supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine and that they are not under contract with the army or national security agencies of Russia or Belarustwo allied countries.
Eleven athletes currently meet these criteria, eight Russians and three Belarusians, the IOCwhich established its position after nine months of debates.
The Russian Sports Minister, Oleg Matytsine, was quick to react, denouncing “discriminatory” provisions and “contrary to sporting principles.”
He indicated, however, that Russian athletes who have qualified for the Olympic Games. OO. 2024 “will probably participate.”
The International Athletics Federation (World Athletics) decided for its part to completely exclude athletes from those two countries.
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“You may see Russian or Belarusian athletes under a neutral flag in Paris, but it will not be in athletics,” declared the president of that entity in a video conference.
“The position of our sport remains unchanged, it is a firm position,” he added.
Since February 2022, the body has thus prohibited international events on Russian or Belarusian soil and any presence of its anthems, flags and officials during the competitions. Furthermore, no representative of the two States will be “invited or accredited for the Paris Olympic Games-2024“.
On October 12, the IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee, deprived of Olympic funding, for having placed five sports organizations from occupied Ukrainian regions under its authority.
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Finally, the Olympic body recalls, “at least 3,000 Ukrainian athletes and other members of the Ukrainian Olympic community” benefited from solidarity funds from the IOC to be able to train the last twelve months.
As of today, “the Ukrainian delegation is expected to be more or less the same size as in the Tokyo 2020 Games“said the Lausanne-based body.