Russians and Belarusians can compete in the 2024 Olympics — as neutral athletes

Flag bearers Sofya Velikaya and Maxim Mikhaylov of Team ROC (Russian Olympic Committee) participate in the Opening Ceremony of the 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, on July 23, 2021. In a reversal, the International Olympic Committee now says that qualifying athletes from Russia and close ally Belarus are allowed to compete in the 2024 Summer Games — as “Individual Neutral Athletes,” a decision that was immediately condemned by both Ukraine and Russia.

But the IOC said athletes from the two countries will not be allowed to compete on teams.

Friday’s decision comes after these athletes were barred from competing in 2022 over Russia’s ongoing war with Ukraine . Belarusian athletes were similarly banned because Belarus allowed Russia to use its territory to carry out attacks on Ukraine.

As neutral competitors, there are strict guidelines for eligibility. Athletes would have to abstain from displaying their nations’ “flag, anthem, colours or any other identifications whatsoever of Russia or Belarus,” according to guidelines from the IOC. No Russian and Belarusian state officials will be invited to the games in Paris either.

This July, the IOC announced that Russia and Belarus wouldn’t receive formal invitations to participate in the Paris Games, which will run from July 26 to Aug. 11, 2024.

The IOC Executive Board recommended barring Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials from participating in the games just four days into the war in Ukraine.

Fast-forward nearly a year: In January 2023 , the IOC began mulling a reversal: Competitors would remain neutral from […]

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