Olympic Committee permits Russian, Belarusian athletes to compete at Paris 2024

Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics as neutral athletes, under the condition that they have not supported the war in Ukraine.

As reported by Reuters, the International Olympic Committee made this decision despite calls from multiple countries, including Ukraine, the US and UK, for a total ban on athletes from Russia and Belarus.

The IOC confirmed that athletes and coaches who actively support the war will not be able to compete in Paris. stating, that “athletes who are contracted to the Russian or Belarusian military or national security agencies will not be eligible to be entered or to compete”.

The decision was met with anger by several athletes, who questioned whether there would be any Russian or Belarusians in Paris who did not support the invasion of his country, as well as sign a statement promising to respect the Olympic Charter, including “the peace mission of the Olympic movement”. It also caused anger in Moscow, where the former sports minister Pavel Kolobkov called the circumstances "humiliating conditions".