IOC Opens Door for Russian & Belarussian Athletes to Compete in 2024 Paris Olympics

Lausanne (Switzerland): The International Olympic Committee, IOC, has opened the door for Russian and Belarussian athletes to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Athletes from these two countries can now participate in the 2024 Olympics as neutrals. Following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, IOC called on federations to exclude athletes from Russia and Belarus.

The IOC later said it will explore a pathway for athletes’ participation as it maintained that no athlete should be prevented from competing just because of their passport.

However, Athlete for Ukraine and the Global Athlete organisation criticized the IOC move in a joint statement. Earlier this week, Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky demanded a ban on Russian athletes at the Paris Games.